Two Karachi Expo Centre staffers held over issuing COVID vaccination slips sans jabs

KARACHI: Two people- a sanitary worker and a data entry operator- working at Karachi Expo Centre have been arrested after being caught red-handed providing vaccination slips to people without receiving COVID jabs, ARY NEWS reported.

According to an FIR registered with Aziz Bhatti police station by the Karachi Expo Centre supervisor, the complainant was supervising the COVID vaccination process on Thursday night when he spotted a cleaner with a man.

Upon inquiry, it emerged that data entry operator Akhter Ali was carrying NICs of 22 people and slips of COVID vaccination, it said adding that Ali later revealed that he used to make illegal vaccination slips in return for monetary benefits with the help of the sanitary worker.

The FIR alleged that 14 vaccination slips and 15 NICs were also recovered from the possession of Shahbaz Masih. “Overall, we have recovered 37 NIC copies and 18 vaccination slips from their possession,” the supervisor said.

In another anomaly reported recently from Karachi, the Sindh police arrested two accused involved in illegal Covid-19 vaccination.

The director of a health services providing firm and an employee were arrested in a sting operation by the Preedy Police, an official said.

“The accused have confessed that they used to visit homes and administer Pfizer and other coronavirus vaccines to people for cash,” according to police.

“We were charging Rs15,000 for per dose of Pfizer vaccine,” the accused told police. The accused were providing per dose of Sinopharm vaccine for 7,660 rupees and Cansino for Rs. 4,500, police said.

“We have administered vaccines to more than 60 persons till now,” they confessed. “Four government officials have also been involved with us,” they said.