(Image source from: Facebook/saintrosegrad)

An Indian American student in New York has been pleaded for intentionally doing damage to the computer equipment of a college in New York. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release.

The 27-year-old Vishwanath Akuthota, of Albany, was also ordered to pay USD 58,471 as restitution charge, United States Attorney Grant C Jaquith said on Tuesday.

Akuthota admitted that on February 14 he inserted a "USB Killer" device into 66 computers, as well as numerous computer-enhanced podiums and computer monitors, owned by the College of St Rose in Albany.

The device, when inserted into a computer's USB port, sends a command causing the computer's on-board capacitors to rapidly charge and then discharge repeatedly, thereby overloading and physically destroying the USB port and electrical system.

The Indian citizen Akuthota was residing in the United States on a student visa. He has been in custody since his arrest in North Carolina on February 22.

By Sowmya Sangam