Kolkata vaccination fraud case: Fake IAS officer Deb's security personnel arrested

In a major development in connection with the COVID vaccination fraud case where Debanjan Deb allegedly impersonated as an IAS officer, Kolkata Police on Thursday night arrested one moe person named Arbinda Baidya, who was the security personnel of Deb. According to the police, he had knowledge of Deb's illegal activities and had also participated in some of them. Baidya will be produced before the court on Friday.

Two more people were on Tuesday. With this, the city Police have arrested at least seven people till now in the case, including fake IAS officer Debanjan Deb who was the mastermind of the false vaccination camps in the city. 

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday had asked the West Bengal government to file an affidavit concerning the vaccine fraud case by Friday. The HC had stated, "Rampant misuse of blue beacons in the state. Why didn't the police notice him when he was going around the city with the blue beacon?"

Debanjan Deb had confessed to organizing fake vaccination camps at places namely City College and Kasba in the city. "He claims that he wrote a mail to Serum Institute of India for sending Covishield. This is being verified. He has also confessed to organizing two camps. One at City College and one in his office at Kasba. No other camp for vaccination was organized elsewhere," the police had informed. 

Kolkata COVID Vaccine Fraud

Last Friday, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) had dismantled a controversial plaque bearing the name of Debanjan Deb, arrested for allegedly organizing fake COVID-19 vaccination camps masquerading as an IAS officer, along with Trinamool Congress lawmakers and a minister. The same day, an SIT was formed by the police to investigate the matter two days after TMC MP and actor - Mimi Chakraborty was duped in the fake vaccination drive. Deb was subsequently arrested based on Chakraborty's complaint.

Mimi Chakraborty, who was invited to attend the camp, said she became suspicious about the vaccination process as she did not receive the customary SMS that is sent to people after they are administered a dose, and informed the city police.

Two TMC MLAs had lodged police complaints claiming that their names were on the plaque, installed at the base of a bust of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore at Taltala area in central Kolkata, though they did not have any knowledge about the programme.