NRI who was forced to miss funeral alleges COVID testing at Mumbai Airport is 'scam'

An Indian-origin UK national on Monday levelled grave allegations against the authorities at the Mumbai Airport claiming that a 'scam' was being run by the state to fake COVID test results of incoming passengers. The passenger named Manoj Ladwa had travelled from London's Heathrow airport to attend his father-in-law's funeral on December 30, with a COVID negative report. However, upon his arrival at the Mumbai Airport, Ladwa alleged that he 'magically' tested positive, and was forced to shift into a government-run quarantine facility which caused him to miss his father-in-law's funeral.

Sharing a 3.43-second clip of his complaint on Facebook, Manoj Ladwa said, "I have been magically tested positive at Bombay international airport. These four people are from the same flight as us, Virgin. Apparently, Virgin let so many of these people on a flight who are all positive but were negative yesterday."

The UK national further claimed that while he was rushing to get to India to carry out the last rites of his father-in-law, authorities at the Mumbai Airport were 'trying to get money' out of people. As per Manoj's claims, a whopping 15 passengers tested positive in the Virgin Airlines flight. "This is a scam. Apparently Virgin allowed 15 (COVID-positive) people onto a flight!" he alleged.

Ladwa claimed that when he took the lateral flow test in front of authorities at the Mumbai airport, he was negative but authorities allegedly insisted that he is positive. When he demanded an independent test, they allegedly denied it to him which caused him to be stuck for four hours at the airport.

"There is nobody responsible here. This is a scam. It's a scam. We are being scammed," he said adding that he had been 'threatened' by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials that he would be 'charged' if he did not comply with the guidelines.

COVID-19 tally in Mumbai

Mumbai reported 8,082 COVID-19 cases on Monday, the highest daily count since April 18, 2021, taking the caseload beyond the 8-lakh mark. With fresh additions, the financial capital's coronavirus tally rose to 8,07,602, while the death toll increased to 16,379. According to Maharashtra's Health Department, 40 new cases of the Omicron variant has pushed the number of such infections to 368 in the metropolis. 

(With agency inputs)