Bengaluru: In a joint operation, customs officials of Bengaluru and Goa have busted a gold smuggling racket at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) involving an elderly couple from New Delhi who were caught while carrying eight gold biscuits weighing 993 gms worth Rs 27 lakh.

According to Customs officials, they intercepted a passenger Radha Rani (64), a resident of New Delhi, who was travelling from Dubai to Bengaluru via Goa by an Air India flight, which also runs a domestic leg from Goa to Bangalore.

During interrogation, Radha revealed that she carried gold biscuits, concealed in black insulating tapes from Dubai and the same were hidden in the flight in seat no. 17C. The initial plan was – on arrival of the flight to Goa, her husband, Jugal Kishor ( 63) would board the flight as domestic passenger, collect the gold to disembark at Bengaluru and walk off through domestic area. However, the Customs officers at KIA intercepted the couple and found out that Kishor was carrying 8 gold biscuits of 24 carat (999.90 purity) weighing 933 grams in total.