Five sentenced for cheating youth in employment scam

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has sentenced five individuals to four years of rigorous imprisonment. They were found guilty of cheating unemployed youth by falsely promising them jobs in the Railway Protection Force (RPF). This decision comes after the court overturned a previous ruling by a trial court that had acquitted the accused. The case was brought to the court by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Chennai, which had challenged the trial court's decision. The five convicted are G. Senthilkumar, G. Ayyanar, R. Kalidass, R. Thangam, and R. Baskaran, with J.M.C. Joyson also involved. A sixth person, C. Raja, who owned a photocopying shop, testified against the others. The group had created fake job application materials and collected money from victims, promising them employment. The trial court had originally acquitted the accused in 2017. However, Justice K.K. Ramakrishnan highlighted that the trial court failed to properly evaluate the evidence presented, leading to a miscarriage of justice. The court also noted that unemployed youth are often vulnerable to such scams. As part of the ruling, Baskaran was granted leave until March 27 to attend a family ceremony for his deceased wife. He must report back to the prison after this date, while the CBI is tasked with ensuring that the other convicts are taken into custody.