Karnataka Police found itself in an embarrassing situation on Monday after a video showing a senior officer in a compromising position with a woman inside his office went viral on social media.
The undated clip, around 47 seconds long, appears to have been recorded on a mobile phone inside his chamber and is reportedly a compilation of multiple short video segments.
Director General of Police (DGP) R. Ramachandra Rao, who currently heads the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE), is seen in the video allegedly kissing and embracing a woman while wearing his police uniform.
Soon after the video began circulating widely, the senior IPS officer rushed to the residence of Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwara.
Reacting to the controversy, Rao told reporters that the video was fabricated and demanded a proper investigation into the matter.
“I am shocked. These videos are fake. I will consult a lawyer and file a case against those spreading false news,” he said.
When asked whether the video was shot inside his office, Rao said he had been posted in Belagavi eight years ago. However, he did not clarify the connection between his Belagavi tenure and the viral footage, which has left the Home Department embarrassed.
The incident has triggered widespread outrage, as the alleged acts are said to have occurred inside a government office during working hours.
A 1993-batch IPS officer, Ramachandra Rao had earlier made headlines in 2025 after his stepdaughter, actress Ranya Rao, was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in connection with an illegal gold smuggling case. She is currently lodged at Bengaluru Central Prison.
Following her arrest, a probe was initiated to examine whether Ramachandra Rao had assisted her in smuggling gold, and he was placed on compulsory leave. The investigation later gave him a clean chit, after which he was appointed as DGP, DCRE.
