fake covid-19 vaccine

In India, thousands of people victims of a fake vaccine against Covid-19

Large-scale scam in Bombay and Calcutta. Between the end of May and the beginning of June, nearly 2500 people received a false dose of vaccine against Covid-19, while the country is one of the most affected by the pandemic, with more than 400,000 deaths. Patients were given saline instead of a traditional vaccine. "They used salt water. inevery fake vaccination camp (there were 12, editor's note) they held, they did that," Bombay Police Chief Vishal Thakur told CNN. The scam was revealed after the hired actress Mimi Chakraborty, who is among the victims, alerted the police after the awakening of suspicions: no symptoms after the dose, payment in cash only...

In Calcutta, the state capital of West Bengal, police arrested a man posing as a civil servant with a master's degree in genetics, who allegedly ran no less than eight fraudulent vaccination sites. At least 250 people with disabilities and transgender people were falsely vaccinated at one of these sites. In total nearly 500 people have been victims of an injection of fake vaccines in Calcutta. Seized vials fraudulently bore the label of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine, marketed in India as Covishield, calcutta police officer Atin Ghosh said.

The crooks arrested

14 people, including doctors and health workers, were arrested. "We arrested doctors. They were using a hospital that produced fake certificates, vials and syringes," the Mumbai police chief added. The crooks are said to have made 28,000 dollars (23,000 euros) from their embezzlement. Each dose was charged between 800 and 1200 rupees (9 and 14 euros). Further arrests could take place as police continue to investigate.