COIMBATORE: A court in Coimbatore on Thursday convicted five persons in connection with a Rs 6 crore overseas job scam, sentencing four of them to 14 years of imprisonment and awarding a four-year term to the fifth accused.
The case, investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), dates back to 2004, when the accused allegedly lured job seekers from Tamil Nadu and Kerala with promises of lucrative employment opportunities in countries such as London and Siberia, particularly in engineering, medical and paramedical sectors.
Victims were persuaded to pay advance amounts of around one lakh each and were issued fake appointment orders. Upon realising the fraud, many found that the accused had disappeared after collecting a total of six crore.
The case was initially registered by local police and later taken over by the CBI in 2010 following directions from the Madras High Court.
Eight individuals were arrested in connection with the scam, including Cherian (71), Francis Arun (45), Asha Charlotte (42), Santhosh William (50), and Preetha Kumari (48), along with three others from Kerala identified as Ramesh Babu, Symond Manoj and Benjamin William.
During the trial, three of the accused, Ramesh Babu, Symond Manoj and Benjamin William died due to illness, and proceedings continued against the remaining five.
Investigators seized assets worth approximately five crore, including immovable properties, 450 grams of gold and fixed deposits. Testimonies from 130 victims were recorded during the course of the trial.
Delivering the verdict, Chief Judicial Magistrate Siva Kumar sentenced Cherian, Francis Arun, Asha Charlotte and Santhosh William to 14 years of imprisonment each, along with fines ranging between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 15 lakh, while Preetha Kumari was sentenced to four years in prison and fined two lakh. The total fine imposed in the case amounts to Rs 56 lakh.
The court also directed that the seized assets and fine amounts be distributed among the victims as compensation.
CBI counsel Surendra Mohan stated that some of the convicted individuals are also facing similar cases in Kerala. He added that necessary steps would be taken to ensure that compensation reaches the victims, including the distribution of seized movable and immovable assets in accordance with due process.