Key Highlights
- Total 12 accused have been arrested so far
- Total 10 FIRs are filed
- Two more similar drives are under police scanner
Mumbai Police has arrested absconding accused Rajesh Pandey in fake vaccination scam. Total 2,666 people were duped by the accused in 10 unauthorised vaccination drives which were conducted in Mumbai and Thane. Two more drives are under scanner and if these two drives will also turn out to be fake, then the number of victims will reach 4,000-mark.
Accused Rajesh Pandey is arrested by Mumbai police from Baramati. Rajesh Pandey was an employee of Mumbai's Kokilaben Ambani hospital. Pandey used to contact the victims. By using his identity as an employee of a reputed hospital like Kokilaben Ambani, he used to gain people's trust and lure them into agreeing for the vaccination drive.
He used the name of Kokilaben Ambani hospital and assured people that no Cowin registration or any other formalities are required as he has conducted various such drives for Kokilaben Ambani hospital.
Rajesh Pandey was called to the Kandivali police station when the cops were conducting a preliminary probe basis the complaint of Hiranandani housing society residents. As per Mumbai police sources, at that, there were not enough evidence against Pandey so police couldn't arrest him.
And after that, he went off the radar. But Kokilaben Ambani hospital managed to get a handwritten statement from him where he confessed to conduct these unauthorised vaccination drives. He said in his statement to Kokilaben hospital that he misused the hospital's name. Post this, Kokilaben Ambani hospital terminated him from his services. But it took two weeks for Mumbai police to arrest him. This is the 12th arrest in the case.