The Kolkata Police on Wednesday busted a fake COVID-19 vaccination centre and arrested a person who had posed as an IAS officer associated with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and was operating the facility.
Several people were vaccinated at the facility in the city’s Kasba area, including Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty. The MP said she informed the police when she failed to receive SMS or the vaccination certificate.
The city police arrested Debanjan Deb. Fake identification cards, forged documents bearing the seal and signature of the authorities of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, hand sanitizers and masks were seized from the Centre. The accused had introduced himself as the Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and was using a vehicle with government logos and signage.
A senior officer of the Kolkata Police said the most important question was how he had managed to get vaccines at the centre, which was not registered with the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. “We have sent the vaccine samples to the lab and if the vaccines are found to be fake, then people will need to be vaccinated again,” he said. The accused had said he bought the vaccines from the open market.
Investigators are yet to establish the motive behind the fraud as the vaccine was being administered free of cost.
The Trinamool Congress MP said that she went to the vaccination Centre after receiving an invite to inspire people by getting vaccinated.
“I did not receive any message after the vaccination. I also asked for my vaccination certificate which they said I would receive after some time. I immediately asked my office to enquire if people present at the site had received registration messages, to which they said they had not,” Ms. Chakraborty said.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/fake-vaccine-centre-in-kolkata-busted-after-mp-raises-alarm/article34941327.ece
