People may have got antibiotics at fake jab camp in Kolkata: Cops – Hindustan Times

Kolkata: People who went to take Covid-19 vaccine at the fake vaccination camp, organised by the man who was impersonating an IAS officer, in south Kolkata might have been injected with Amikacin, an antibiotic, police said on Thursday.

Sleuths of the Kolkata Police’s detective department, who raided accused Debanjan Deb’s office in south Kolkata on Thursday, found a large number of Amikacin vials. Fake labels of Covishield were also recovered, police said.

“In some of the Amikacin vials we found that fake labels of Covishield have been pasted. Interrogation revealed that Debanjan Deb used to purchase Amikacin from chemists impersonating as a top official of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation,” said a senior officer of Kolkata Police.

On Wednesday, Kolkata Police busted a fake Covid-19 vaccination camp organised by 28-year-old Deb, who was masquerading as the joint commissioner of the city’s civic body.

Trianmool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty was also duped as she attended the vaccination camp on an invitation and took a dose. She, however, grew suspicious when she didn’t receive any message on her mobile.

Police lodged another case against Deb on Thursday after interrogation revealed that he had organised a similar camp at a college in north Kolkata a few days ago. Several students were injected.

“The vials used by Deb had a label with Covishield written on it in green colour. It didn’t have any batch number, manufacture date, expiry date or the company’s name. Only ‘recombinant vaccine’ was written on it. The vials were also smaller than actual Covishield vaccine vials,” said Ranita Sengupta, deputy chief medical health officer at KMC.

Police suspect Deb, who was impersonating an IAS officer and a top civic official, was also arranging funds by negotiating with some microfinance companies.

“He had employed a security guard and used to move around in a car with a blue beacon and the flag of KMC,” said the police officer.

Police said further investigation was going on and the samples, recovered from his office and the fake vaccination camp, have been sent for examination.

“Amikacin is a very important antibiotic, which is given to patients suffering from sepsis and septicaemia. We still don’t know which injection was given. But if it was Amikacin, then it won’t have much effect on a normal human being. But if the patient is suffering from kidney ailments and Amikacin has been given in high doses, then it could create some problem,” said Dr Manas Gumta, general secretary of Association of Health Service Doctors in the state.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has raised allegations that Deb might have links with senior TMC leaders after pictures of the accused posing with senior leaders of the ruling party surfaced.

Recently, Deb had attended a programme organsied by the TMC at Sonarpur in the southern fringes of the city. TMC legislator Lovey Maitra had also attended the programme on invitation. Besides, a bust of Rabindranath Tagore was recently unveiled at Taltala in Kolkata. Along with names of TMC MPs and MLAs, Deb’s name was also carved on the stone, people aware of the matters told HT.

“How can an MP (referring to Mimi Chakraborty) attend a fake vaccination camp, without verifying it and speak highly of the camp? Does this mean that she is also associated with this? Deb’s picture can also be seen with TMC leaders, including ministers and ward councilors. There has to be some connection,” Dilip Ghosh, BJP president in West Bengal, said.

Reacting to BJP’s allegations, Kunal Ghosh, TMC spokesperson, said, “The way everything was camouflaged, we admit that there was a fault. A crime has been committed. The police will investigate how he managed everything. Mimi Chakraborty didn’t speak highly of Deb. She tried to encourge vaccination. But we don’t want to hear it from the BJP. Could they identify the fake BJP leaders who joined the party in large numbers before the elections and are now willing to switch sides?”

A few hundred people took injections in various camps organised by Deb. Police said those who took the fake jab in south Kolkata were told that they were getting Covishield, those who got the fake jabs in north Kolkata College were told they got Sputnik. His office employees were also given fake injections and were told they were getting Pfizer vaccine. Such a camp was also organised at Sonarpur, police added.