2800 fake COVID vaccination certificates from CoWIN portal, MP Govt orders probe

Bhopal: A COVID-related scam has been unearthed in Madhya Pradesh where it was found that the government’s CoWin application was fraudulently used to produce around 2800 fake COVID vaccination certificates, with the health department immediately issuing a probe into the incident.

The certificates were produced from a small sub-health centre of Mehgaon block of Bhind district. The vaccinations were issued four months after the mass vaccination drive was completed in the state.

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Dr UPS Kushwaha, chief medical and health officer (CMHO), Bhind said, "A probe has been ordered by the health department. The cyber cell is trying to trace the 2,800 beneficiaries but most of the mobile numbers are either switched off or call receivers are not sharing any detail about their whereabouts."

The complaint was filed by the Bhind district chief medical and health officer (CMHO) when a beneficiary sought a COVID-19 vaccination certificate on May 30. The officer subsequently reported the matter to the authorities in Bhopal, Gwalior, and Bhind on May 31. The CMHO, Dr UPS Kushwaha informed the Hindustan Times, "A probe has been ordered by the health department. The cyber cell is trying to trace the 2,800 beneficiaries but most of the mobile numbers are either switched off or call receivers are not sharing any detail about their whereabouts."

Ajay Kumar Singh, an administrator, found irregularities in the Vaccination Certificate Control Module (VCCM). The officer found that the fake certificates were created after a vaccination camp was held at the non-existent 'Soni sub-health centre’ (SHC) in Mehgaon block. The district vaccination officer was immediately informed of the situation following which they got in touch with the block medical officer of Mehgaon and the police.

The investigations revealed that the fake vaccination camp was held at Soni, around 25km from Bhind district headquarters and 500km north of Bhopal. Despite changing the login password on May 30, certificates continued to be issued from the portal on May 31. The department eventually stopped the vaccination session displayed on the portal.

Nearly 36 people received the fake certificates, and a list of their names was shared with the CMHO and Bhind collector Satish Kumar S. The information was also conveyed to the National Health Mission in MP, director (vaccination), and the district SP, reports the Times of India.

Satish Kumar, collector, Bhind said, "The health official checked and found that the stock of vaccines finished by February. No vaccination is going on since then. The health workers and block medical officers (BMOs) were interrogated and informed that they didn’t have any information about vaccination and issuance of certificates. Now, the matter has been handed over to cyber cell."

Another health official said, "When we contacted the beneficiaries, the people from Chhattisgarh and Gujarat accepted that they received the certificate from Bhind after vaccination. They disconnected the call when they were asked about the time they had come to Bhind for the certificate." He added that some people were located outside Maharashtra and had received fake certificates through their agents.

Stating that the investigation is ongoing, Bhind Superintendent of police Manish Khatri said, "We are yet to get any major breakthrough. Cyber experts are trying to find out, how it happened and who all are behind this ghost vaccination."

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