New Delhi: A couple has been arrested by the Customs department at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here for allegedly trying to smuggle gold worth nearly Rs 25.5 lakh into the country, an official statement said today.  

The accused -- a man (67) and a woman (65) -- were intercepted by Customs officials soon after their arrival from Frankfurt yesterday, it said.   Nearly 995 grams of gold in the form of 'kadas', worth around Rs 25.54 lakh in the market, was found in their possession, the release said.  

The passengers were arrested and further investigation was in progress, it added. A total of 114 cases of smuggling were registered between January and October this year at the airport, a customs official said.  

In these cases, 110 kg of gold, valued at about Rs 37 crore, was seized, he said, adding that 62 smugglers were arrested in these cases for their alleged involvement in the illegal ferrying of the precious yellow metal.  

In 2016, 110 cases were registered by the Customs in which 188 kg gold, valued at nearly Rs 48 crore, was seized, the official said. Seventy-nine people were arrested in connection with those cases, he added. PTI