Guj: Man booked for selling false COVID-19 negative reports

A FIR has been registered againsta laboratory agent for allegedly selling false COVID-19negative reports to people in Gujarats Rajkot city, policesaid on Saturday.

According to the police, the accused Parag Joshimanaged to procure COVID-19 negative certificates for peoplewho needed them for Rs 1,500 each.

Based on a complaint lodged by deputy medical officerDr Parag Chunara, a case has been registered against Joshi andother unidentified accused under relevant provisions of theIPC, Disaster Management Act and Gujarat MedicalPractitioners Act at Gandhigram police station, an officialsaid.

Joshi ran a home sample collection centre and soldCOVID-19 negative reports to people without collecting theirswab samples, he said.

“We have learnt that the sample of a different personwas sent to a laboratory with the documents of the person inwhose name the report was to be issued,” the official said.

The laboratory would then issue a report in the nameof the person whose documents it received, he said.

The accused also did not have a licence to run thesample collection centre, and was hence also booked under theGujarat Medical Practitioners Act, the official said, addingthat further probe is underway.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)