The police recovered fake Covishield and Zycov-D vaccines, Remdesivir injections, and testing kits worth Rs 4 crore. Several machines used to manufacture the fake vaccines, injections, and kits were also seized.

New Delhi, February 3

The UP Police’s Special Task Force (STF) arrested five people in Varanasi for allegedly manufacturing fake Covid-19 vaccines. 

The accused have been identified as Rakesh Thawani, Sandeep Sharma and Arunesh Vishkarma of Varanasi, Lakshya Java of Delhi, and Shamsher of Balia who were all operating from a rented accommodation in Rohit Nagar area of the city. 

The police said the scam was led by Rakesh Thawani, who was arrested in a criminal case in 2018 and later released on bail. 

The police recovered fake Covishield and Zycov-D vaccines, Remdesivir injections, and testing kits worth Rs 4 crore. Several machines used to manufacture the fake vaccines, injections, and kits were also seized.

The STF stated that Rakesh has confessed to the crime that he and his associated prepared fake vaccines and testing kits. Lakshya Java’s job was to supply those fake vaccines and testing kits to different states. 

The STF smells hands of more persons in the racket where they got locals support to operate in other states and supply fake vaccines.