Even as Central agency are investigating and interrogating Kannada actress Ranya Rao and her accomplice in the gold smuggling case the Karnataka government on Tuesday instituted a CID probe headed by a top official to go into the alleged misuse of protocol and official privileges by the starlet at Bangalore airport.

The Karnataka government constituted a probe committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta to go into the alleged involvement of police officials and others in extending courtesies to the actress, who is said to have made many trips abroad and is suspected to have smuggled in gold and also believed to be part of an international gold smuggling racket.

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Actress Ranya Rao was arrested a few days ago by the DRI sleuths as she was walking out with gold worth Rs 12 crore strapped to her body after her arrival from Dubai on March 3 and was waived through customs and security frisking points without being subjected to security procedures.

The CID probe will also go into the allegations of police misconduct. The probe team has been directed to submit its report within one week.

The CID team will investigate how she was able to exploit and use facilities that are given to high-ranking officials and evade security checks. Now, there are allegations that these privileges were offered to her by her stepfather, IPS official Ramachandra Rao. He, however, distanced himself from her activities saying she lived separately. At present, Rao is the managing director of the Karnataka State Police Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation.

The state government also directed the director general and inspector general of police, along with the secretaries of the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department, to provide all necessary documents and assistance to facilitate the inquiry.

In fact, the misuse of protocol intensified political slugfest with the Opposition accusing the Congress government of complicity in the case. The ruling party has, however, fiercely countered the claim pointing out that the airport comes under the jurisdiction of the Central government and if anything, the Centre must answer.

Karnataka Congress MLAs and state Home Minister G Parameshwara said now that investigations are on, even by the CBI, let them first find out the facts. We can respond subsequently. As for the allegations of the BJP, they have been made with an intent to malign the image of the government, the state home minister said.

The BJP alleges involvement of two Congress ministers in the case.