Mumbai Crime: 24-year-old held for creating and selling fake RT-PCR reports

Accused Devilal Jat

The Colaba police have arrested a man who provided fake negative RT-PCR reports for a price. Investigation has revealed that the accused, Devilal Jat, 24, edited his own RT-PCR report on an app and sold it to people for between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500.

The police have also arrested one Shantilal Minaria, 37, who was one of the people who had bought a fake report from Jat. It is feared that Jat sold such reports to 10 to 15 people and the police are investigating further.

According to the police, Jat is a computer engineer by profession. Minaria, who had come to Mumbai in January, had got a job as a cook with a businessman but was asked for a negative RT-PCR report before joining work.

Minaria contacted Jat for an RT-PCR report and Jat provided him with a negative report. When Minaria's employer decided to cross-check the veracity of the report with the lab mentioned on the report, he found out that there was no one called Shantilal Minaria who had tested himself at the lab.

Also read: Mumbai Crime: 26 kg of whale vomit seized, four arrested

The fake RT-PCR report contained the QR code, which on scanning revealed that it was that of Devilal Jat. The lab owner immediately lodged an FIR at the Colaba police station, acting on which the police arrested Jat and Minaria.

During interrogation, Jat told the cops that he had modified his own report on an app and sold it to others. A police officer told mid-day, "The accused had made a fake RT-PCR report using his laptop. The police suspect that Devilal has made fake RT-PCR reports for at least 10 to 15 people."

Investigating officer Ajay Sawant told mid-day, "We have arrested both the accused. The police custody of both of them is till July 14. We are investigating further. Both these accused are from the same village."

10-15
No of people that cops fear Devilal Jat has sold fake RT-PCR reports to