Besides the imprisonment, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Phulbani, Soma Sekhar Jena, also imposed a penalty of Rs 1.5 lakh on Romesh Chandra Pradhan, proprietor of Gramya Unayan Swayam Sahayak Gosti (GUSSG).
In case of non-payment of the fine amount, the convict would have to undergo additional jail term for 17 months.
According to the prosecution, following an FIR lodged by a group of 183 people, who had deposited money in GUSSG after being lured by its promise to multiply their deposits within months, Pradhan was arrested on February 11, 2012.