According to police, the accused took advantage of the rising demand for negative RT-PCR test reports for the persons who wished to travel abroad. (Express Photo/Amit Mehra)In separate instances, the Hyderabad police Friday busted two gangs for allegedly issuing fake negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test reports and backdated vaccination certificates for money. Six people, including owners of diagnostic centres and travel agents who allegedly connived with an employee of a primary healthcare centre, were arrested and 75 fake negative RT-PCR reports and 50 fake Covid vaccination certificates were seized.
The accused took advantage of the rising demand for negative RT-PCR test reports for people who wished to travel abroad, said the police. Deputy commissioner of police (task force) Chakravarthy Gummi said that P Laxman, who owns a diagnostic centre, and his aide Prabhath Kumar Sangi were arrested in the first case.
The police seized 65 fake negative RT-PCR reports and 20 sample collection kits. The DCP said the duo was sending dummy samples to pathology labs and collecting negative reports charged at Rs 2,000-3,000 each.
In another case, Md Tariq Habeeb, who runs a diagnostic centre, travel agents Gulam Mustafa Shakeel, Abdul Basheer, Irfan Ur Rub Ansari and Kumari, a staff at UPHC Humayunnagar, were found to be issuing fake vaccination certificates. As it was mandatory to possess Covid vaccination certificates to travel abroad as well as for other purposes, Habeeb colluded with Kumari and started issuing fake certificates. He charged around Rs 800- 1,000 for each certificate, said the police.
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The police said travel agents have been encouraging the accused to issue fake vaccination certificates and fake negative RT-PCR certificates for their customers.
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