Vaccination scam: punish the big fish if they are gill-ty

Photo for representational purpose

In a sentiment that should resonate with all, the Bombay High Court told the Mumbai police to identify the ‘big fish' in COVID vaccination scams that have rocked the city.

After the fraudsters' cover was blown, when one residential society suspected that fake vaccines were administered, an entire fake trail was unearthed with even more people coming out to say that they suspected they were cheated.

Soon, swathes of persons in organisations and individuals started approaching police stations and the can of worms now truly has opened. The scam, detestable though its perpetrators are and shocking in audacity, is not the focus of this edit.

What is important is the Bombay High Court telling the police to identify the big fish in this hoax. The big fish is the crux. With these words, it is evident what is left unsaid is that do not concentrate on the small players, the poor and sometimes innocent, though not at all times, in the hierarchy. Go after the big guns as they are the ones primarily responsible for orchestrating this nefarious scheme.

Every case of wrongdoing here sees the poor fall guy who has to take the rap, pay fines, serve prison time and suffer a loss to reputation that will dog him through his life. The big fish slip through the net. They do so because of huge influence, money, and the wherewithal to beat the system since they have the power to do so.

Just sometimes we see the rich and powerful snared but at most times we do know that they go scot free simply because they can manage, like we say in local lingo and know how to manage.

It is time to change the big-fish-go-free culture. Catch the real culprits. We do not need a High Court to tell us so.