A Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court in Coimbatore has handed down jail terms ranging from four to 14 years to six individuals involved in an overseas job scam. The convicts, including the Managing Director of the firm, were found guilty of cheating around 600 job seekers by promising placements in the UK and Cyprus in exchange for large sums of money totaling about Rs 6 crore. The court also imposed fines on the convicts, with one individual receiving a four-year sentence and a fine of Rs 2 lakh.
The convicted individuals, part of a gang that operated a firm named Yanbo Associates in Gandhipuram in 2005, presented fake foreign employment permits to deceive job aspirants. They collected fees ranging from Rs 80,000 to Rs 3 lakh per person before abruptly shutting down operations. The CBI, which took over the case in 2011, filed a charge sheet in 2012 against the accused, leading to a 14-year trial that culminated in the recent convictions and sentencing.
The court also ordered the confiscation of the convicts’ properties and the sale of 448 grams of gold ornaments seized during the investigation to compensate the victims of the scam. The case, initially registered by the local police and later taken over by the CBI, resulted in compensation of Rs 1.48 crore being awarded to the victims. The court’s judgment underscores the consequences of fraudulent activities that exploit job seekers’ aspirations for better opportunities.
