KOCHI: The Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court has awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment to three persons for allegedly duping people by promising jobs abroad in 2009. They have also been fined Rs 30.06 lakh in total.
Sebastian P John, 50, of Thodupuzha, and Kottayam natives Steffi Mary George, 36, Biju alias Mathew, 52 and Johncy Joseph, 59, were convicted in the case earlier. However, the second accused Steffi is absconding and hence, her sentence was not announced.
The convicted persons were found guilty under IPC Section 420 (cheating) and 120B (conspiracy) as well as Section 10 of the Emigration Act for running a recruitment firm without a valid certificate.
The court ordered that compensation to victims of the job scam be realised from the fine amount.
The convicted persons were running the institution, Amer Speak American Accent Academy, at Kalathipady in Kochi in 2008-09. Despite not having a valid licence, they collected money from 28 people offering them employment in Spain, Italy and the UK.
However, the victims failed to get a job visa and also lost their money following which a complaint was lodged. The Kottayam East police had registered a case in 2009 and the probe was handed over to the CBI in 2010.