Karnataka 'sleaze' video row: Complaints pile up against Ranya Rao's DGP father; audio clips add twist

BENGALURU: As controversy erupted over the sleaze videos purportedly involving DGP Ramachandra Rao, multiple complaints have been lodged with both the state and central govts seeking action against the senior IPS officer.

Social activist and Ballari-based Anna Foundation chief Rajshekar Mulali termed the video as "disgraceful".


Soon after the videos went viral on the internet, Mulali wrote to the department of personnel and training (DoPT) and the Prime Minister's Office Monday, seeking legal action against Rao for the alleged misuse of power, public office and police uniform, and for showing "disrespect to national and state symbols".

Sharing details of his letter to the PMO, Mulali said it would not matter whether the alleged incident occurred during Rao's tenure as IGP in Belagavi or at any other posting.

"It is clear in the video that it was filmed in his office and while he was in uniform. If the state govt does not take appropriate action at the earliest, I will approach the court and seek verification of the video and audio files through the forensic science laboratory and initiate legal proceedings."

He alleged that Rao engaged in an objectionable and intimate conversation with a woman while in uniform and in front of the national flag. He called it a serious violation of the code of conduct. The city-based advocate has also lodged a complaint with the chief minister and chief justice of Karnataka and sought a detailed probe into the alleged incident.

In the meantime, two audio clips also surfaced on social media Monday evening, adding a new twist to the row.

The audio recordings, whose authenticity could not be independently verified, are claimed to feature a conversation between a cop and a woman.

The circulation of the audio clips, alongside the videos, has further fuelled political and public outrage, even as Rao dismissed the allegations, maintaining that the material is ‘fabricated' and aimed at ‘maligning' his image. The state govt said the authenticity of the recordings would be examined as part of any inquiry into the matter.

Rao not new to controversies
Ramachandra Rao has been the subject of multiple public debates during his police career. His first major brush with controversy dated back to 2014, when he served as the inspector general of police (IGP) of the southern range. Rao's name figured in a high-profile money seizure case after a Kerala-based jeweller alleged that police personnel misappropriated Rs 2 crore while intercepting cash being transported to the southern state.

However, police registered the case showing a seizure of only Rs 20 lakh. When the govt ordered a CID probe, sleuths arrested Rao's gunman on charges of dacoity in connection with the case, further intensifying scrutiny of the senior officer's role, though Rao himself denied any wrongdoing.

More recently, in March 2025, Rao again found himself at the centre of controversy, following the arrest of his stepdaughter, Kannada actress Ranya Rao, by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). DRI charged her with smuggling 14.2kg of gold from Dubai. Rao was subsequently accused of misusing his official position by facilitating protocol services for her at the airport, allegations he denied.