Mumbai: Gang organises fake vaccination drive after stealing CoWin data, 5 held

Mumbai police have arrested five persons for allegedly duping a housing society in suburban Kandivali by organising a COVID-19 vaccination camp fraudulently in the name of a private hospital. Each member had paid Rs 1,260 per vaccine, and the society had collectively paid a total of Rs 4.56 lakh to the camp organisers.

Mumbai:Police here have arrested five people in connection with organising a fraudulent vaccination drive in which 390 residents of a society were administered the covid vaccine. According to the Hiranandani Heritage Residents Welfare Association (HHRWA), a vaccination camp was organised at the residential complex on May 30. Later, it found that the Co-WIN portal did not have any record of the people who participated and they received certificates in the name of different hospitals. Subsequently, an FIR was lodged at the Kandivali police station.

While speaking about the arrest, Additional Commissioner of Police (North) Dilip Sawant said: "Police have arrested four persons, who were involved in organising the COVID-19 vaccination camp at the housing society. Besides them, one more person, who had procured vaccines for the camp has been detained at a railway station in Madhya Pradesh and a team of Mumbai police bringing him to the city."

Further, he said each member had paid Rs 1,260 per vaccine, adding that the society had collectively paid a total of Rs 4.56 lakh to the camp organisers. Explaining about the modus operandi, Sawant said that the mastermind of the racket, Mahendra Singh has been working in the medical field for more than 17 years and connections at many reputed hospitals and doctors in Mumbai.

Sanjay Gupta, another accused in the case, works as a camp organizer in society whereas the third accused, Lalit alias Chandan Singh, works at a reputed hospital in Mumbai. He is the mastermind of stealing data from the Co-WIN app, with the help of which he used to create fake certificates. Meanwhile, the police have seized Rs 9 lakh from the account of the main accused.

During the investigation, it came to light that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had not permitted to organise such a camp and no medical officer was present during the drive, the official said.