New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS): The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ernakulam, Kerala, has convicted four job agents and sentenced them to five years rigorous imprisonment in a case of cheating, at least, 21 people on the pretext of getting them employed in Italy, Spain and the UK, the CBI said on Friday.

The court accepted the federal agency's charges against the convicts that they dishonestly induced emigrants to pay a total amount of Rs 28.27 lakh and obtained wrongful gain to themselves as part of a criminal conspiracy to cheat.

Those sentenced to imprisonment were identified as Sebastian P. John, then Managing Director, and Biju alias Mathew, then Manager, (both of Amer Speak, American Accent Academy; Kalathipady), Kottayam,(Kerala) and Johncy Joseph.

The fourth convict Steffi Mary George, wife of Sebastian P. John, did not turn up for a hearing on the question of sentence, therefore, the case against her was split up.

The court also imposed a fine on the three convicts of Rs 30.06 lakh in a bank fraud case.

On recovery of the fine amount from convicts Sebastian P. John; Biju, and Johncy Joseph, Rs 1,40,000 each is to be paid as compensation to 21 victims cheated by the accused, the court said.

The CBI re-registered the case on August 9, 2011, in compliance with the Kerala High Court's order of September 7, 2010, against the accused.

It was alleged that the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy to cheat intending emigrants on the false pretext of a job abroad - in Italy, Spain and the UK.

In furtherance of the said criminal conspiracy, the accused dishonestly induced emigrants to pay Rs 28,27,000 and cause a wrongful loss to victims, the CBI said.