07 July,2021 04:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Samiullah Khan
The Borivli police took custody of Shivam Hospital owner Shivraj Pataria and his wife Nita Pataria, too, on Tuesday
Borivli police took the custody of the accused in the fake vaccination scam case on Tuesday. They are investigating the cases involving Aditya College and Mansi Share & Stock Advisors Pvt Ltd at Shimpoli, where Manish Tripathi, one of the prime accused in the racket, conducted camps with the fake vaccine. They suspect that Manish stored the empty Covishield vials at a commercial space he rented in Kandivli, from where he allegedly ran the racket.
After being produced in court on Tuesday, Shivam Hospital owner Shivraj Pataria and his wife Nita Pataria, Tripathi, Rajesh Pandey and Rahul Dube were officially arrested by Borivli police who got their custody till July 9. The Borivli officers also took into custody the other accused - Sanjay Gupta, Chandan Singh aka Lalit, Gudiya Yadav, Mahendra Singh Seema Ahuja, Shrikant Mane and Anurag Tripathi.
Manish Tripathi, one of the prime accused in the case
Police have further learnt that Manish introduced himself to people as an orthopaedic doctor, dentist, cardiologist and cancer specialist, while approaching them to organise vaccination camps.
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Police had earlier learnt that after Covid-19 vaccination started, Manish rented a commercial space at Crystal Lawn Society in Thakur Complex, Kandivli East, and converted it into a fake hospital and named it KCEP Healthcare. Manish, 26, rented the 2nd floor in February for Rs 15,000 and even hired a few employees, police sources said. They added that he used this space for vaccinating people against Covid-19. Police also suspect that Manish held meetings and stored empty Covishield vials at this space, and will investigate further.
Police officers said Manish started KCEP Institute at Shivam Hospital last year and many students took nursing courses there. Police sources said, "He had sufficient space at Shivam Hospital to run his institute, but he suddenly rented this commercial space. This raised suspicion."
A police officer said, "Manish told a professor that he runs a dental clinic in Goregaon. He told another doctor that he has a hospital in Mira Road. We suspect more people have been victims of his fake vaccination scam."
Manish Tripathi ran a fake hospital out of Crystal Lawn Society at Thakur Complex in Kandivli East
In the scams at Aditya College and Mansi Share & Stock Advisors Pvt Ltd, police are investigating whether the vaccine was taken in thermocol boxes. Also, neither the college trustee nor the company owner signed a memorandum of understanding for the vaccination camp, during which no professional doctor or nurses were present, police said.
Police also found that none of the two places had an ambulance, which is mandatory in case of an adverse reaction. There were no computers and the CoWIN portal wasn't used, police said, adding that none of the recipients received vaccination certificates.
514
No. of people vaccinated at Mansi Stock Advisors's camp