TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty gets jabbed at fake COVID-19 vaccination camp; man posing as IAS officer arrested after FIR

Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty has exposed a fake Covid-19 vaccination racket being run by an impersonator in Kolkata. Chakraborty claimed that she was approached by a man who introduced himself as an IAS officer and informed her that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is running a special drive for transgenders and specially-abled persons. The TMC MP was invited to the event as a chief guest.

“I took Covishield vaccine at the camp to motivate people for taking jabs. But I never received a confirmation message from CoWIN. I lodged a complaint with Kolkata Police and the accused was arrested. He was using a car with a blue beacon and fake sticker,” the MP said. Chakraborty said she took the Covid shot to encourage people and help check the spread of the virus. Around 250 people were vaccinated at the camp, reports said.

Mimi Chakraborty grew suspicious when she noticed that no Aadhaar details were taken for people to register with CoWIN and she did not receive a message after the vaccination.

The frightening possibility of fake vaccines given to hundreds of people has led to a bigger investigation by the Kolkata Police. The case regarding the fake COVID vaccination drive has been now transferred to the Kolkata Police Detective Department.

The man arrested has been identified as Debanjan Dev. He claimed to be an IAS officer when he invited the TMC MP to the camp.

The Kolkata Police are now investigating whether the shots were original or expired. “We haven’t come across any vials having an expiry date. Seized vials will be sent for testing to find out if they are genuine or not. Accused will be interrogated in this regard,” said Kolkata Police yesterday.