Odisha: Fake RT-PCR cert racket busted in Puri, 12 arrested

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BHUBANESWAR: Police on Friday busted a syndicate involved in the sale of fake Covid RT-PCR negative reports to devotees in Puri for a hassle-free entry into the Jagannath Temple with 12 arrests. Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh said, “We have arrested 12 persons, including four devotees, in connection with the offence. While the four devotees belong to different states, the eight accused are from Puri. We appeal to the devotees to carry genuine vaccination or Covid negative certificates.”
The government has made it mandatory for the devotees to either produce an RT-PCR negative report obtained 96 hours before the temple visit or a final vaccination certificate to offer prayers at the 12th century shrine. The police said the gang would target tourists, who were denied entry into the temple for not carrying either of the two mandatory documents. The accused would charge Rs 500 for each fake RT-PCR negative report.
“We have sealed a computer shop where the accused would prepare the fake RT-PCR negative reports. They would collect the original Aadhaar cards of devotees and print fake RT-PCR reports instantly. We grew suspicious and started investigation after coming across a few fake RT-PCR negative reports recently,” Singh said.
The police further said the names of some Covid testing laboratories and hospitals in Bhubaneswar and Puri were misused and printed in the fake RT-PCR negative reports. The police had sent the seized reports to the testing centres concerned during verification, following which they were found to be forged. “We have registered three cases — two with the Singhadwar police station and one with the Khumbharapada PS. We are likely to arrest some more persons soon. Owing to the sensitivity of the case, we have not disclosed the identities of the accused. We are trying to ascertain the exact number of fake reports sold by them so far,” Singh said.

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