Fraudsters like Deb are worse than terrorists, says Mamata

KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said the kingpin of the fake vaccination camp, Debanjan Deb, was more dangerous than terrorists. Banerjee slammed BJP for indulging in a blame-game and dragging the names of some Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders in the matter.

"Such is the courage and audacity of these persons (like Deb) that they use their good and smart appearance to dupe common people. I doubt whether these people have qualities of a human being. Those who cheat people and play games with their lives are more dangerous than terrorists. We have already taken action," Banerjee said.

Reacting to the blame-game, Banerjee said: "When leaders take to the roads, there are many people who click selfies. They are totally unaware of the identity of such people and have no relation with them. This happens with leaders of other political parties too. Nothing is proved by showing leaders and fraudsters in the same frame. We have to remember that these people are frauds and I have already asked the police and the district administration to step up vigil and focus on more surprise visits to keep an eye on the sorts of businesses run by people. I personally feel that KMC and the police cannot wash off their hands in the case and both of them have been alerted," she maintained.

She also came down heavily on BJP's demand for a CBI probe in the case. "There should be a CBI inquiry when bodies are floating in Uttar Pradesh's rivers and for organising vaccine camps at the party office in Gujarat. There have been instances when frauds have been found to receive instigation from the BJP. We have already caught a number of fraudsters backed by the BJP," she added.

Banerjee maintained that the expert committee would take a call as to when the persons, who had received the fake jab, could be vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the police have come to know that Deb had duped several promoters in the city by promising them to provide tenders for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) work.

The sleuths, who raided Deb's Madurdaha residence for the second time on Sunday evening, found several photographs and documents from the hard disk of the laptop that was seized.

The investigating team also managed to retrieve the deleted messages sent via WhatsApp from his mobile phone. They recovered several passbooks of various banks, some forged documents and stamps.

The bank accounts revealed that Deb had made a transaction of Rs 2 crore from these accounts in the last one year. A few employees of banks were interrogated on Monday. Sleuths have learnt that he had taken a loan of Rs 20 lakh from a private bank through forged documents.

A stockist on Monday lodged a fresh complaint against Deb at Hare Street police station for not paying him after procuring sanitisers and masks worth Rs 1.2 crore.

During interrogation, Deb told the cops that in October last year, he had taken the office place in Kasba on rent from one Ashok Roy against a monthly rent of Rs 65,000.

At least 12 persons, including employees and ex-employees of his Kasba office, were interrogated on Monday who claimed that Deb had roped them in by promising jobs in KMC but employed them at his own office.

Police have also come to know that Deb was questioned by the cops of Electronics Complex police station in Bidhannagar Commissionerate during March last year after a verbal complaint was made before the police.

It was alleged that Deb had attempted fraud by promising to provide a job. It was then that his parents learnt that he was not an IAS officer. Police are trying to find out why his parents have not raised an alarm despite knowing that their son has been cheating people.