Fake Covid-19 test reports sold during pandemic: Cops

Police said that the company discovered that reports were being issued with the signature of a doctor who had left the lab two months earlier

Gurugram: The Gurugram police, on Friday, booked unidentified persons for allegedly running an illegal operation of forging RT-PCR test reports by using the name of a prominent company’s pathology lab, during pandemic, said police.

The Gurugram police, on Friday, booked unidentified persons for allegedly running an illegal operation of forging RT-PCR test reports by using the name of a prominent company’s pathology lab, during pandemic. (Representational Image)

Police said the case was registered at Sushant Lok since the company’s headquarters are in the area. The case was registered on the direction of district and sessions court, said police.

The complainant alleged that negative report for RT-PCR were sold during pandemic for ₹2,000 and the reports were printed on the company’s letterhead. The complainant alleged that despite filing complaints on June 8 and June 23, 2021, police did not take action , forcing them to approach court to seek judicial intervention. The court has directed immediate police action, including the arrest of the accused to prevent further damage and interference with the investigation.

Police said that the company discovered that reports were being issued with the signature of a doctor who had left the lab two months earlier. “In several instances, reports were issued before the samples were even received at the lab. The fraudsters charged people ₹2,000 for these reports, putting their lives at risk and increasing the threat of infection during the pandemic,” said Manoj Kumar, station house officer of Sushant Lok police station.

The petition was filed in court by the company against unknown individuals. The company alleges that this case involves not only fraud and forgery but also endangering public health for profit. “We provide doctor consultations, diet consultations, blood tests, Covid tests, and other health services. Our NABL accredited pathology lab in Delhi-NCR is authorized to conduct Covid RT-PCR tests. Recently, we discovered that unknown individuals were issuing fake Covid RT-PCR reports in our name. The World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic, and lockdowns were imposed nationwide to prevent infection through human contact. Many of the Covid reports issued in their name were never actually generated by the company.

In one instance, a sample was collected on May 29, 2021, at 9.32 am and received at the lab on May 30, 2021, at 7.32 pm. However, a report for this sample was issued on May 30 at 5 PM, before the sample even reached the lab. The signatures on these reports were photoshopped, and a doctor’s signature used on several reports despite her leaving the company two months prior. On June 19, 2021, the company received an email with three PDF attachments asking to verify the Covid reports. Upon investigation, the company found these reports were never issued by them. It was also revealed that people were charged ₹2,000 for these fake reports,” stated the complaint.

The company filed a complaint with the police, who discovered a name linked to the fraud. However, it was found that the individual had died from Covid. The company then filed a petition in court, which took cognizance of the matter and ordered the registration of an FIR.

A case was registered under sections 270 (anybody who does a malignant act which he/she knows is likely to spread an infectious disease dangerous to life can be punished with imprisonment upto two years or with a fine), 415 (cheating by deceiving another person which causes harm, damage or loss of property), 420 (cheating) , 468 (forging document), 469 (Tampering with property mark with intent to cause injury) of Indian Penal Code and sector 103 of trademark act 1999, said police.

The SHO said that they are conducting investigation and the suspects are yet not identified. “A team has been formed to probe the case and to probe the certificates used by the suspects,” he said.

Gurugram: The Gurugram Police on Friday booked unidentified people for allegedly forging RT-PCR test reports by using the name of a prominent company’s pathology laboratory, during the Covid-19 pandemic, police said.

A case has been registered at the Sushant Lok police station since the company’s headquarters is located in the area. The case was registered on the direction of the district and sessions court, police said.

Advocate Prashant Rawat, a resident of Noida who is the whistle blower in this case said that he had collected evidence and had written to the company to verify if the reports were genuine. He alleged that a negative report for a RT-PCR test was sold during the pandemic for ₹2,000 and the reports were printed on the company’s letterhead. He alleged that despite filing complaints on June 8 and June 23, 2021, the police did not take action, forcing them to approach the court to seek judicial intervention. The court has directed immediate police action, including the arrest of the accused to prevent further damage and interference with the investigation.

“I was aware that the reports were forged but I wanted to be sure since these reports were bought by a lot of private companies during the pandemic so that their employees could do their field work. I have got four such reports and I approached the company to seek confirmation,” Rawat said.

According to the police, the company discovered that reports were being issued with the signature of a doctor who had left the lab two months earlier. “In several instances, reports were issued before the samples were even received at the lab. The fraudsters charged people ₹2,000 for these reports, putting their lives at risk and increasing the threat of infection during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Manoj Kumar, station house officer of the Sushant Lok police station.

The petition was filed in court by the company against unknown individuals. The company alleged that this case involves not only fraud and forgery but also endangered public health for profit. “We provide doctor consultations, diet consultations, blood tests, Covid tests, and other health services. Our NABL accredited pathology lab in Delhi-NCR is authorized to conduct Covid RT-PCR tests. Recently, we discovered that unknown individuals were issuing fake Covid RT-PCR reports in our name. The World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic, and lockdowns were imposed nationwide to prevent infection through human contact. Many of the Covid-19 test reports issued in our name were never actually generated by the company,” an official said.

In one instance, a sample was collected on May 29, 2021, at 9.32am and received at the lab on May 30, 2021, at 7.32pm. However, a report for this sample was issued on May 30 at 5pm, before the sample even reached the lab. The signatures on these reports were photoshopped, and a doctor’s signature used on several reports despite her leaving the company two months earlier. On June 19, 2021, the company received an email with three PDF attachments asking to verify the Covid-19 reports. Upon investigation, the company found these reports were never issued by them. It was also revealed that people were charged ₹2,000 for these fake reports,” stated the complaint.

The company filed a complaint with the police, who discovered a name linked to the fraud. However, it was found that the individual had died from Covid-19. The company then filed a petition in court, which took cognizance of the matter and ordered the registration of an FIR.

A case was registered under sections 270 (anybody who does a malignant act which he/she knows is likely to spread an infectious disease dangerous to life can be punished with imprisonment upto two years or with a fine), 415 (cheating by deceiving another person which causes harm, damage or loss of property), 420 (cheating) 468 (forging document), 469 (Tampering with property mark with intent to cause injury) of the Indian Penal Code and section 103 of the Trademark Act 1999, said police.

The SHO said that they are conducting an investigation and the suspects are yet not be identified. “A team has been formed to probe the case and to examine the certificates used by the suspects,” he said.