One of the two gold bars sourced from the paste hidden in the insulation tape.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Customs authorities at the Bengaluru airport said they foiled a gold smuggling attempt by arresting two flyers from Dubai and confiscating gold worth Rs 1.66 crore from them.
In a statement, Bengaluru customs said officials from its air intelligence unit used profiling techniques to pull aside two passengers who arrived on Emirates flight EK 564 at 8.40 am on Saturday. A search showed both wore insulation tape under their waist belt.
Since it is unusual for people to wear such insulation tape, customs officials suspected that it could be a case of gold smuggling. The insulation tape was unusually heavy: one weighed 1,888.4 grams, and another 1,874.2 grams. A thorough search revealed gold paste stashed in the tapes.
Customs officials arrested both passengers and confiscated the paste.
The paste was subsequently melted and shaped into two gold bars of 23.76-carat purity. Their total weight came to 2,833.41 grams, the statement added.