Every vaccine ingredient serves a purpose. To provide immunity, we become immune to (or protected from) a disease when our bodies create specific antibodies to fight that disease. Vaccines contain ingredients that help your body build this immunity now that the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world.
However, in a horrifying event, there have been multiple cases of fraud and scams in different areas in a country, be it medicines, test reports, or even essentials like oxygen cylinders, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit India and the vaccination has begun in the country, many cases of the scam have been coming out.
In one such major incident, thousands of people have fallen prey to an elaborate wide-ranging scam selling fake coronavirus vaccines at various places in India, with doctors and medical workers among those arrested for their involvement, authorities say.
An estimated 2,500 people in India who thought they were getting the COVID-19 vaccine were given salt water instead at around 12 vaccination sites in Mumbai and Bengal over the past two months. At least 2,000 people in Mumbai and 500 in Bengal may have been victimized. So far, 14 people have been arrested in connection with the scheme. The organizers charged their victims fees for the shots, earning up to Rs. 2,083,690 in total.
Among those arrested are medical professionals, including Doctor Shivraj Pataria and his wife Neeta Pataria — the owners of the Shivam Hospital in Mumbai. The hospital, which was allegedly aiding the scam, has reportedly been sealed as the investigation continues.
The case was first flagged to police last month after People who allegedly received salt water raised questions when their vaccination records did not show up on the government’s internet portal. Additionally, none of the individuals experienced any of the common vaccination side effects.
Those arrested reportedly face charges that include suspicion of cheating, attempts at culpable homicide, and criminal conspiracy.
“Those arrested are charged under criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery,” said Vishal Thakur, a police officer in Mumbai said. “They were using saline water and injecting it. Every fake vaccination camp that they held, they were doing this.”
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