Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck India, there have been several instances of fraud and scams in a variety of fields, including the sale of medicine, test results, and even necessities like oxygen cylinders. Now, since the vaccination has begun in the country many cases of scams have been coming out.
As thousands of people have fallen prey to an elaborate wide-ranging scam selling fake coronavirus vaccines in India; doctors and medical professionals are among those who have been detained for their involvement, according to the authorities.
As of now, 14 people have been arrested in connection with the scheme, which saw as many as 2,500 people receive injections of the saline solution rather than the COVID-19 vaccine earning more than $25,000 in total, over the course of two months at roughly 12 vaccination sites in Mumbai and Bengal.
Records indicate that at least twelve such phony vaccination campaigns were being run as part of the fraud. Between the months of May and June, when COVID-19 immunizations were desperately needed, the doctors managed the clinic in Mumbai. While injecting them with seawater, these doctors pretended to provide the vaccination to their patients. By using their hospital access, the doctors then made fake vaccination certificates. Along with the syringes that helped them inject the seawater, they also used other hospital supplies to carry out their scheme.
“[The doctors] were using saline water and injecting it. Every fake vaccination camp that they held, they were doing this. We have arrested doctors – they were using a hospital which was producing the fake certificates, vials, syringes,” Mumbai police department official Vishal Thakur said.
Just as India was in a very difficult place with COVID-19, the doctors conducted their fake vaccination scam. The virus was ravaging the country and its healthcare system, as the country hit a record number of infections in June.
Because India has a large population (over one billion people), vaccination efforts will take time. To help put an end to the terrible pandemic, the country is relying on healthcare professionals and doctors to help administer COVID-19 vaccinations.
Some experts believe the true death toll is closer to two million, although over 400,000 people have died in India so far.
However, regarding how India is reporting their COVID statistics and that they might not be portraying the extent that the virus has ravaged people across the country, there is some controversy.
The vaccine campaign will take a very long time because there are so many individuals in the nation. According to current estimates from John Hopkins University, just 5% of Indians have had a vaccination. India has so many cities and towns that it will be logistically impossible to provide immunizations to everyone throughout the entire country of Southeast Asia.
Thakur believes that more arrests will be made, regarding the vaccination scam. Patients began to question the scheme’s legitimacy, prompting police to investigate. They expressed their concerns to law enforcement, who promptly investigated the claims. Thakur said that investigators are diving into the scam to figure out everyone who was involved, so they can be brought to justice.
Siddharth Chandrashekhar, a lawyer in Mumbai, has filed a class-action lawsuit against the medical practitioners who were involved in the scheme. He has already verified 2,000 scam victims.
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