14 arrested for trying to dupe goldsmith as IT officials in Chennai

Fourteen men, hailing from West Bengal, were arrested today for masquerading as Income Tax (IT) officials and trying to cheat a goldsmith of Rs 10 lakh, police said here.     The main accused Sahib Samanto, spoke to a goldsmith Brindavan Chaudhry yesterday identifying himself as an IT officer, charged him of having 19 kg of unaccounted gold and summoned him to a lodge to "settle the case."    When Chaudhry went there, he was told by the 14 men present that he had not paid Rs 20 lakh to the department. They demanded Rs 10 lakh to 'settle the case' and allowed him to leave after he paid them Rs 10,000, a police press release said. The gang asked him to settle the balance by night and said they would 'seize' the gold if he failed to do so.      Chaudhry then filed a police complaint and a special team nabbed the gang from the hotel today, the release said adding fake IT seals and a four-wheeler were recovered from them.