NESCO centre data entry official held for fake vaccination scam at Mumbai college

The accused had organised a fake vaccination scam at Borivli’s Aditya College as well

The Kandivli police on Wednesday arrested a 23-year-old student of Charkop's KCEP Institute in connection with the fake vaccination scam. Accused Gudiya Yadav was also working as a data entry official at the NESCO Covid-19 centre in Goregaon. The Borivli police had registered an FIR in the matter after the BMC approached them regarding the fake vaccination scam organised at Aditya College.

The Borivli cops had also registered cases against arrested accused Sanjay Gupta and another two accused identified as Rajesh Pandey and Manoj Bhatia. Police sources said absconding accused Dr Manish Tripathi, who runs KCEP Institute, had referred Yadav for the job at the NESCO Covid-19 centre and they also suspect that she misused the CoWIN ID and password.

Speaking to mid-day, Senior Inspector, Sudhir Kalekar of Borivli police station said, "After the Kandivli scam came to the fore, the Aditya College administration informed the BMC that a fake vaccination drive was organised on their premises as well. On June 3, accused Gupta, Pandey and Bhatia set up the camp for the college staff, students and their families. Around 213 people got vaccinated but none of them had any side-effects."

A police source said, "The Covishield vaccine bottles used for the camp was not sealed. Aaditya College also paid around '2.68 lakh to the organiser. The college staff and students didn't get any certificate after the drive."

Till now the Kandivli police have arrested event manager Mahendra Kuldip Singh, 39, Sanjay Gupta, 34, Chandan Singh, 32, Nitin Mode, 32, and Karim Ali, 21, all of who have confessed to the crime of organising nine such fake vaccination drives across the city. Police sources said that more FIRs would be registered in the scam and more people were expected to be arrested.

Speaking to mid-day NESCO Covid-19 centre Dean, Neelam Andrade, said, "Gudiya Yadav was a data entry operator who had all access to the CoWIN portal ID and password. She was preparing certificates for those getting vaccinated at the centre but we don't know how she misused the portal details."

The Borivli police registered the FIR against Yadav under sections 268 (public nuisance), 270 (doing any act known to spread infection or disease dangerous to life), 274 (adulteration of drugs), 275 (sale of adulterated drugs), 276, 419 (impersonation), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 467, 468, 470 (forging document), 471, 188 and 34 of the IPC, and sections 43 and 66(e) of the IT act.