'People weren't jabbed with Covid vaccine at fake camp'
kolkata: The investigation into the vaccination scam—that was busted after Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty raised an alarm—took a shocking turn on Thursday after Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) claimed to have received prima facie evidence suggesting that no Covid vaccine was administered to beneficiaries who were jabbed at the fake vaccination camp in Kasba.
On the same day, police recovered vials—which had labels reading 'Amikacin'—from office of the accused, Debanjan Deb, in Kasba.
According to experts, Amikacin is a type of antibiotic mostly used for treating bacterial infections. One of the side-effects of Amikacin is diarrohea, experts claimed.
However, the samples have been sent for tests to ascertain the actual nature and component of the vaccine. The results are expected in a few days. Sources revealed that the accused, who used to impersonate as an IAS officer, had forged the signature of Special Commissioner of KMC and had also opened a bank account. On Thursday, a complaint was lodged on this regard at the New Market police station.
"Generally batch number, expiry date and manufacturing dates are mentioned on a vaccine vial. But, there was no such mention on the vials that were seized from his office and residence. The term 'recombinant' was written on the label of the vial, indicating that it was a mixture of some powder and water," Ranita Sengupta, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health, KMC said. The term recombinant is usually associated with vaccine of measles and BCG.
"I am fine now but as I have a history of liver related ailment, I will visit a doctor and have a liver test on Friday as a precautionary measure," Jadavpur MP Mimi Chakraborty, who had taken vaccine at the fake camp, said.
Earlier in the day, police took Deb to his office in Kasba and conducted a search along with the forensic experts. A good number of vials with label of Covishield pasted on those were seized. Later, when the labels were removed, police found the vials were actually of amikacin injection.
Though cops suspect that all the vials contain amikacin injection, those have been sent for forensic test to ascertain the components.
Deb reportedly used to purchase large quantity of amikacin injection vials from a chemist shop by posing as a senior officer of the KMC.
During the course of investigation, the sleuths of the detective department have learnt that Deb had received over Rs 1 lakh from a micro finance company of Taltala area to vaccinate their employees. The police raided the office of Deb in Kasba and seized some vials and huge quantities of hand sanitisers, gloves and masks.
Meanwhile, another case has been registered against Deb at the Amherst Street police station by the Principal of City College where Deb had organised a vaccination camp on June 18. About 70 people, including students and college faculties, were vaccinated in that camp.
Abhijit Rai Chowdhury, vice-president of Kasba New Market Committee informed that the camp was held at the basement where KMC doctors examined the health condition of 70 out of 101 beneficiaries (mainly shopkeepers of the market) who took vaccine from the Kasba camp.
"There has been no major complaint except panic attack of those who were examined. They have been given medicines from the health centre situated nearby on P Majumder Road, " Member Board of Administrators, in charge of Health Department Atin Ghosh said.
"I took the vaccine on June 17. I had given a signed photocopy of my Aadhar card as documents. I am extremely worried of misuse of my aadhar which is linked with my PAN Card and Mobile number," Surjo Patra , a beneficiary said.
The sleuths are interrogating him to find his purpose behind organising such camps and how he procured funds for the same. They are further questioning him to find out how many camps he had organised so far. The probe in the case is underway.
