Covid vaccine work order scam: Delhi Police arrest man for duping people of Rs 15 crore

Delhi Police

Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested Prafulla Kumar Nayak, 48, for allegedly impersonating an officer of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and duping people of Rs 15 crore.

According to a Times of India report, the accused, a resident of Odisha and a graduate, had previously worked as a travel agent.

The police received a complaint from Sunil Kaushik, who claimed to have been duped Rs 4 crore under the pretext of receiving work orders for the transportation of Covid-19 vaccines across different states during the 2021 Covid pandemic. Four more complaints with a similar modus operandi were also received. A case was registered, and the total amount defrauded exceeds Rs 15 crore, said Additional Commissioner of Police (EOW) Amrutha Guguloth.

According to the police investigation, in May 2021, the accused and his accomplices approached the complainants, offering to arrange work orders from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for transporting Covid-19 vaccines across states.

"To gain the trust of the victims, they took them to the Nirman Bhawan premises of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Meetings were held inside the Ministry building, and forged work orders were issued, from which Rs 15 crore was extorted from the complainants,” said Guguloth.

In 2022, eight individuals, including the main orchestrator, Hermann Sabherwal, were arrested. Nayak had been absconding since then.

The police stated that due to strenuous efforts, the accused was finally arrested on January 21. He was the person who facilitated the entry of the accused and victims into the government complex (Nirman Bhawan) through the gratification of certain employees working in the Ministry.

"The reception officer and two MTS staff of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare were already arrested in this regard. The accused also impersonated himself as an officer of the Ministry. He was also the treasurer of a society presided over by one of the accused, Pawan Rai, who was arrested earlier," the police added.

The account of the society was allegedly used to siphon off funds collected from the victims, according to the TOI report.

The police said that the role of other accused persons is under further investigation.