Washington: An Indian college intern in the US has been sentenced to five years in prison for providing tech support to a telemarketing fraud scheme that duped about two dozen senior citizens of their retirement savings amounting to nearly a USD one million.

Bishwajeet Kumar Jha, 21, the ringleader of a group of Indian college students doing hospitality industry internships in the US, defrauded the senior citizens aged between 58 years to 93 years. The victims were duped of of their retirement savings ranging between USD 1,180 and USD 174,300, the Department of Justice said on Monday. Jha will face deportation proceedings upon the completion of his term of incarceration, it said.