Is that dose of distilled water? Mumbai, Kolkata hit by fake Covid vaccine rackets; several arrested

Even as the vaccination drive in the country is picking up brisk pace, the spectre of fake vaccination camps is also rearing its head with two major cities-Mumbai and Kolkata- reporting more than 2000 victims of fake vaccination camps. While the investigating agencies have arrested a number of fraudsters involved with the fake vaccination racket, the total extent of the damage as well as the constituent of the fake vaccine vial remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, under fire over photographs of fake vaccination racket lynchpin Debanjan Deb with several TMC leaders, Rajya Sabha MP Dr Santanu Sen today said that he has filed an FIR against the fraudster. Sen who is also the West Bengal Indian Medical Association (IMA) Secretary said that soon after realising bad intention of Deb, he filed an FIR at Muchipara Police station requesting stringent action against the fraudster, news agency ANI reported. The Trinamool MP also shared a letter he wrote to Muchipara Police station in which he wrote that the accused had come to the IMA office in Kolkata with few other individuals and got himself clicked.

Clarifying further on the controversy, Sen wrote that the accused had refrained from introducing himself properly and it was not possible to ascertain the identity of all people visiting an organisation accompanied with other people. Among the TMC leaders with whom Debanjan Deb’s photographs went viral are senior minister Subrata Mukherjee, Kolkata Municipal Corporation Chairman Firhad Hakim, Trinamool MLA from Sonarpur Lovely Moitra among others.

Debanjan Deb is alleged to have played the key role behind organising three fake vaccination centres in the state capital where about 2000 people were jabbed with fake vaccines. Kolkata police has also recovered the fake vaccines and vials from the residence of Deb. A similar fake vaccination racket has come to light in Mumbai where about 2000 people were vaccinated with fake vaccines at several private vaccination camps organised around the city. Taking cognisance of the fake vaccination racket, the Bombay High Court had on Tuesday asked the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation and Mumbai Police to formulate a policy to tackle the fake vaccine racket menace. Both Mumbai as well as Kolkata police have made a number of arrests apart from collecting statements from victims of the racket.