Covid-19 vaccine scam in Mumbai: Victims given partial doses from leftover and expired shots

Shivraj Pataria and his wife Nita Pataria run Shivam Hospital

The founder of Charkop-based Shivam Hospital and his wife were arrested by the Kandivli police on Thursday for allegedly supplying fake vaccines to the Kandivli-based Hiranandani Heritage society and other places. Preliminary investigations suggest that Shivam Hospital saved old Covishield vaccines and empty vials and did not return them to BMC after the government stopped giving doses to private hospitals on April 30. These were used to give vaccines in recent drives. Police are probing to find out how exactly that was done.

Shivam Hospital in Charkop, Kandivli West

Kandivli police suspect that Shivam Hospital used these expired vaccines in the vaccination scam at various places. The Bangur Nagar police on Thursday registered the sixth FIR in connection with the fake vaccine scam.

Shivam Hospital's doctor founder, Shivraj Patariya, 62, and his wife Nita Pataria, run the hospital together. The police said that Shivam Hospital was running the vaccination centre from March 14 to April 30 and vaccinated more than 15,000 people.

Police sources said that Shivam Hospital also did not give the prescribed quantity of vaccines to people and saved some from each vial. The saved doses were allegedly used in the scam. Police are also probing what exactly was done with the empty vials - whether they were filled with leftover, expired vaccines or with a fake liquid.

Fake camp at bank

A police officer from Bangur Nagar police station said, "We received a complaint from Bank of Baroda's Evershine Nagar branch about the same arrested accused who vaccinated 40 employees on April 23 and May 25. The bank paid Rs 35,000 to Mahendra Singh who used to arrange the camps. The employees did not get vaccine certificates."

40 employees of Evershine Nagar's Bank of Branch got shots in a fake vaccination camp organised by Shivam Hospital

The Bangur Nagar police registered a case against six people - Mahendra Singh, Dr Manish Tripathi, Karim Ali, Sanjay Gupta and two unknown people. Police sources said that Dr Tripathi was also present during the vaccination camp at Bank of Baroda.

Sources from Kandivli police said, "The scam started from Shivam Hospital in Charkop, Kandivli West. It was running a vaccination centre since March 14 this year. However, on April 30, the state government stopped providing vaccines to private hospitals. We suspect that Shivam hospital did not use 100 per cent of the vaccine in each vial. Every vial has 10 ml of the vaccine, meant to vaccinate 10 people. However, Shivam Hospital did not give the full 1 ml to beneficiaries. The hospital most likely stored the remaining vaccine and used it at various camps."

Sources added, "We also suspect that Shivam Hospital did not return empty vials to the civic body. The vaccines given to the residents of Hiranandani Heritage society at Kandivli, Aaditya college at Borivli, production houses TIPs films at Versova and Matchbox at Khar, and Bank of Baroda's Evershine Nagar, were probably expired."

The vaccine, once opened, is to be used within four hours, after which, it loses its effect.

Cases at Borivli, Dadar

On Thursday, the Borivli police also registered an FIR, the seventh one in the scam, on the complaint from a Borivli-based share broker about a fake vaccination camp at Shimpoli, Borivli West where 514 people were vaccinated. The share broker paid R6.47 lakh to Mahendra for the camp. All five FIRs are registered under Sections 268 (public nuisance), 270 (doing any act known to spread infection or disease dangerous to life), 274 (adulteration of drugs), 275 (sale of adulterated drugs), 419 (impersonation), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 470 (forging document) and others of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the IT Act.

A vial allegedly used in the camp

The Podar school at Dadar registered a fifth case at Bhoiwada police in relation with the vaccination of 207 of their staff. The case came to light late on Thursday. The school paid Rs 2.60 lakh to arrested accused Mahendra. The vaccination was carried out on 28 and 29 May. The police have arrested Shrikant Mane and a woman Anuja Singh.

Senior Inspector Vinod Kamble of Bhoiwada police station said that Mahendra is the main accused. The case became the seventh FIR in the scam.

How the vaccination scam unfolded

May 30: A vaccination drive was conducted for 390 residents of Hiranandani Heritage Society in Kandivli West. The residents had paid '4,56,000 (roughly '1,260 for each dose) to two agents - Rajesh Pandey and Sanjay Gupta of SP Events. The duo claimed that they were from the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH) and Nanavati Hospital.

June 8: Residents got vaccination certificates, but they had names of different hospitals and different dates. When the residents checked the CoWin portal, their status was shown as "yet to receive first dose."

June 16: Hiranandani Heritage Society residents filed complaints with the BMC and police.

June 17: The civic body directed a deputy municipal commissioner to conduct an inquiry and later a report said that the vaccination camp organised at the Kandivli society did not have the required permission. Both the KDAH and Nanavati Hospital denied any involvement in the matter. The Kandivli police filed the first FIR in the matter.

June 18: Ramesh Taurani, founder of Tips Industries Limited, complained that 206 of his employees had got vaccines on May 30 and June 3, but they did not get certificates. Tips Industries was told that the vaccination certificates would be issued by KDAH. Matchbox Pictures also reported that SP Events had organised a similar drive for 150 employees on May 29. Even Aditya College said that an event management company had organised a fake vaccination drive on its campus for its staff, students and their families.

June 18: The Kandivli police arrested Mahendra Pratap Singh, 39, Sanjay Gupta, 29, Nitin Mode, 32, and Lalit alias Chandan Singh, 32. The fifth accused, Qareem Akbar Ali, 21, was detained from Madhya Pradesh and brought to Mumbai. The cops also found the involvement of Dr Manish Tripathi, who ran the KCEP Institute in Charkop. Tripathi has been absconding.

June 19: The Versova police filed a second FIR and arrested the organiser, Sanjay Gupta. However, Pandey filed for anticipatory bail. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Health), BMC, Suresh Kakani said the vaccines could have been brought from outside the state or could be spurious.

June 20: Investigation revealed that main accused Mahendra Singh and Dr Manish Tripathi involved many of their students studying at the KCEP institute in Charkop, Kandivli West. The police also found that the accused stole the CoWIN ID and password of NESCO Covid centre and used the portal to issue vaccination certificates to the society residents.

June 21: Police registered the third FIR in connection with the scam. Khar police filed the FIR based on the complaint received from Tips Industries Limited. Officers said the accused arrested for supplying fake vaccines to Hiranandani Heritage society in Kandivli are the ones who had scammed Tips.

June 24: The Kandivli police arrested a 23-year-old student of Charkop's KCEP Institute in connection with the scam. Accused Gudiya Yadav was also working as a data entry official at the NESCO Covid centre in Goregaon. The Borivli police had registered an FIR (the fourth one) in the matter after the BMC approached them regarding the fake drive organised at Aditya College. Bhoiwada police registered the fifth FIR in the matter related to a vaccination camp organised by the accused for an educational institute on March 28 and 29 where 207 people were given the jab. The Bangur Nagar police registered the sixth case. According to cops, the accused had held a fake camp for the Malad West branch of Bank of Baroda. Another FIR in the matter has been registered by the Borivli police.

Mar 14
Day Shivam Hospital's vaccination centre started

15,000
Approx. no. of people vaccinated by Shivam Hospital at its vax centre