Thread by @NewsBytesApp

Mumbai Police has launched an investigation into a fake COVID-19 vaccination racket, where people are suspected to have been injected with distilled water instead of the vaccine. A special investigation team led by DCP Vishal Thakur will head the case.
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Reportedly, 390 residents of the Hiranandani Heritage Club in Kandivali (West) were administered what they believed were COVID-19 vaccines on May 30. However, they were actually injected with distilled water. This does not harm people. The beneficiaries also paid Rs. 4.56 lakh.

Further, only 120 beneficiaries received vaccination certificates and they had the names of different hospitals on their certificates. An inquiry into these hospitals revealed that there was no agreement with them to conduct a vaccination drive. That's how the scam was unearthed.

According to reports, the group under investigation is suspected to have procured 38 vaccine vials from a private hospital in Mumbai. A pharmaceutical company misused these vials to conduct fake vaccination drives at several places, including Hiranandani Heritage housing society.

The employees of the pharma company, however, were administered original doses of #COVISHIELD. The others are suspected to have been injected with distilled water. The police suspect that one Dr. Manish Tripathi is involved in the fake vaccination racket. #vaccinationscam

Another FIR was registered regarding the vaccination fraud with the Borivali Police on June 24. They have filed a case U/S 308 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the IPC. The police also informed Bombay High Court that 2,000 people got fake vaccines at 9 pvt camps.

The High Court has now asked the Maharashtra government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to set up specific policy/guidelines to prevent such fake vaccination drives in the future.