SIT to probe vax scam; KMC to provide free jabs to victims

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the vaccination scam that was busted after Debanjan Deb, who had impersonated as an IAS officer, was arrested from Kasba.

On the other hand, the state government has directed all District Magistrates that online portal or Covid vaccine-related app must be used to carry out inoculation drives. It also has to be ensured that there is no wastage of the shots.

A senior KMC official said since a prima facie probe by the KMC revealed that no Covid vaccine was injected to the beneficiaries at the said camp, the civic body would take the opinion of health experts and arrange for inoculating those who had received the fake jab.

Meanwhile, the sleuths interrogated a few people at Lalbazar on Friday to gather further leads. They learnt that Deb had forged the letterhead of state Home & Hill affairs department, Nabanna and had recruited a former BSF officer, Arabinda Baidya — who is also a national-level swimmer — as his security guard.

A lawyer, has meanwhile, filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) at the Calcutta High Court seeking CBI investigation into the case. The matter is expected to be heard next week.

The probe in the case revealed that Deb had reportedly cheated several people to gather money for arranging such fake vaccination camps. On Friday, MLA Tapas Roy and Nayna Bandopadhyay and Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen lodged separate complaints against Deb for using their names or pictures for his ill motive.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) lodged an FIR against a private bank where Deb had opened a bank account by forging the signature of a senior KMC official. "Bank accounts on behalf of KMC cannot be opened without the permission of Chief Municipal Finance (Accounts). So, we feel that the bank has done a serious offence by opening such an account," Member Board of Administrators, KMC, in-charge of Health department, Atin Ghosh said.

Deb had claimed during interrogation that he had a passion for social work. During the period between 2014 and 2017, he had worked in a few event management organisations and also made documentaries and music albums of his own. While working in these events management companies, he had met several people and started maintaining good relationships with them that included some influential people of society. He even managed to enroll himself as a junior filmmaker at the film festival as well. There, Deb met with a few state government officials and had been maintaining contacts with them.

During the pandemic, Deb started a business of masks, PPE kits, hand sanitisers and other necessary things. The sleuths learnt that he had purchased the purported injections that were used for vaccinating people from a shop located at Mehta Building in Bagri market. Police had questioned the owner of the medicine shop who had claimed that Deb owed Rs 55,000 to him for the purchase. A number of forged letterheads, logos and rubber stamps of KMC were recovered from his office and residence. He had employed some 13 persons in his office at Kasba against payment of salary. Deb had claimed that he had hired a car for the last three months and attached a flag bearing the logo of Biswa Bangla and installed a blue beacon on the roof too.

"What he has done is inhumane as the people of Kolkata are known for their social service and reaching out to each other in trying times. It is not mandatory to seek permission from Kolkata Police for social work. However, we are probing the case thoroughly. What exactly was the jab that was injected, from where it has been procured, whether any more persons are involved, everything is being investigated," Kolkata Police Commissioner Soumen Mitra said.

According to senior Kolkata Police officials, they have come to know about two people from whom Deb had taken huge amounts of money by posing as a senior KMC officer. Cops suspect that Deb cheated several more people to arrange funds for his expenses.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari submitted a deputation to the state Health department demanding a thorough probe in the case and reiterated that he would raise the issue at the state Assembly which is slated to start from July 2.