MUMBAI: A 26-year-old technician from a Mira Road-based laboratory was arrested for allegedly issuing
fake Covid-19 negative reports for Rs 1,000 each.
Interestingly, the six negative reports that he issued of 'decoy patients' are currently taking treatment for Covid-19 in hospitals in Mira-Bhayander.
Krishna
Saroj, a resident of Lalji Pada in Kandivli(west) worked for the SRL Diagnostics Laboratory in Mira Road. He issued Covid-19 negative certificates based on the Aadhar card copies sent to him on his cellphone. The action was taken by the crime branch Unit-1, Kashimira of the Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar (MBVV) commissionerate, following a tip-off.
The police sent Aadhar card details of six positive patients. Saroj received the Aadhar card copies of the six decoy patients (actual Covid patients) and within four hours he sent them their Covid-19 negative report. For each of the six 'decoy customers' he charged Rs 1,000.
He has been booked under IPC sections 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly uses as genuine any document or electronic record).
Police said that Saroj is likely to have issued several such fake documents since the pandemic struck last year.