Mumbai vaccine scam: Housing societies must take NOCs from BMC for vaccination drive, says Aaditya Thackeray

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Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday reacted sharply against the alleged fraudulent Covid vaccination drive scam conducted at Hiranandani Heritage Club in Kandivali, stating that housing societies should take NOCs from BMC to ensure vaccination drive are legitimate.

The minister said, "Let police conduct the probe. Housing societies should take NOCs from BMC. It is s on private housing societies and government to ensure that vaccination teams that are coming are legitimate."

Mumbai Police on June 16 detained two people a day after the residents of a housing society in Kandivli claimed to be cheated in an alleged vaccination scam.

Mumbai Police sources on Wednesday said that though the matter is still under investigation, what they found is that beneficiaries have received their certificates but with different dates and locations of vaccination. According to sources, the police suspect that the management committee of Mumbai's Hiranandani Estate Society was not allowed to hold a vaccination camp and that is why the location was shown differently and vaccine doses were administered flouting protocols.

The police are also investigating the roles of the hospital which has the certificates of vaccination to the beneficiaries, they said. The police will formally comment on the issue after the preliminary inquiry is concluded, they added.

According to a complaint registered by the residents of the society, on May 30, the management committee of Hiranandani Heritage had arranged a Covid vaccination drive for its residents and their in-house staff, including the security guards, drivers, and domestic help, on May 30.

The society has 435 flats, comprising three residential towers and around 390 residents participated in the drive. The residents had in their complaint stated that a facilitator, Rajesh Pandey, who claimed to be a sales representative from Kokilaben Hospital, negotiated with them for providing 400 vaccine doses on their society premises. They further stated that each dose cost Rs 1,260 and around Rs 5 lakh was paid to the facilitator.

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