Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 1 (IANS): A special CBI court here on Tuesday sentenced nine of the 13 people convicted for the 2009 murder of Paul Muthoot George to life imprisonment and the remaining four to three-year jail terms.

Convicts Jayachandran and K. Satheesh got life terms for direct involvement in the killing and were asked to pay Rs.50,000 each as fine.

The four convicted for destruction of evidence were directed to pay fines of Rs.5,000 each. One man was set free.

A bachelor, George, 32, belonged to the wealthy Muthoot business family, and his killing near Alappuzha on August 21, 2009, created a sensation in Kerala.

He was riding a car with Om Prakash and Rajesh, two men facing several criminal cases.

The Central Bureau of Investigation, which took up the case in January 2010, held that Satheesh stabbed George to death after George's speeding vehicle knocked down a two-wheeler.

The accused and his friends followed George after the accident, stopped him, and after a verbal duel, killed him.

The killer gang was on its way to eliminate another person when they ended up murdering George.

The CBI held a total of 18 people guilty in this and another case.