One more arrested in fake vaccination case

Kolkata: The detective department of the Kolkata Police arrested one Indrajit Shaw on Friday evening in connection with Debanjan Deb fake vaccination case. Shaw, a resident of Tangra, was arrested from Central Metro Station gate at BB Ganguly Street. The sleuths also raided Deb's office in Kasba's Rajdanga and seized important documents.

The investigating team was accompanied by Deb who had brought some tool kits so that hidden documents, if any, can also be retrieved.

Police sources said Shaw had made all arrangements for holding the fake vaccination camp at City College in Amherst Street on June 17 and had posed as an employee of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation during the camp. Shaw, an ex-student of the college, had introduced Deb to the principal of the college.

A complaint was lodged by the college authorities at Amherst Street police station after the sleuths busted the fake vaccination camp with the arrest of Deb a few days back. Shaw was produced at Bankshal Court on Saturday and was remanded to police custody till July 9.

During Saturday's raid, the police have recovered a fake letter addressed by Deb to the state Health department for procurement of Covishield vaccine posing as a Joint Commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

The sleuths have come to know during the course of investigation that over Rs 2.80 crore has been transferred from a bank account of Deb. However, the investigating officers are still in the dark about where this money has been diverted.

The state forensic laboratory will soon send the vaccine vials that were recovered from Deb's office and

residence during earlier raids to National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Disease (NICED) in Beliaghata to ascertain the chemical composition of the injections that were administered to the beneficiaries.

"We are more or less sanguine from our preliminary enquiry that it is not a Covid vaccine but we need to know the exact composition," a senior police official said.

Police have informed the court about the seizure of a uniform along with a batch of a BSF personnel from his residence.

The sleuths are trying to find out for what purpose had Deb procured this dress.