Kolkata police today arrested three persons on charges of duping people after taking money form them for Covid19 tests.

The three arrested are identified as brothers Indrajit Sikdar and Biswajit Sikdar, who police said are working as contractual laboratory assistants in two government hospitals and Anit Paria, an employee of a private laboratory.

“The three are being questioned to find out the mastermind of the racket and about how many more people are involved, said an officer at the Netajinagar police station. The three had been apprehended for cheating Covid patients for producing fake test reports after taking money from them, said an officer at the Netajinagar police station.

According to police, a complaint was lodged at the Netajinagar police station on 30 July detailing the “harassment and trauma” undergone by the complainants Salma Sinha and her daughter Sima, residents of Naktala, following the death of her husband.

An officer at the Netajinagar police station said that the duo in their complaint said that Bimal Sinha, husband of Salma Sinha, had developed symptoms of Covid-19 and they were having a trying time to get him tested. On 24 July, according to the complaint, her husband had come across a website of a lab through an online search, which entailed details of the Covid test facility and the timeframe within which the reports can be available. Thereafter, they paid an amount of Rs 8,000 online to avail of the facility to get his sample tested.

According to the complaint, a person sent by the organisation had collected her husband’s sample for testing on 25 July and the report was available on the website on 27 July, which reportedly stated that her husband had tested negative.

Notwithstanding, her husband’s condition continued to deteriorate. Finally, he was admitted at MR Bangur hospital, where he passed away on 30 July.

A senior officer at Lalbazar said that similar complaints of defrauding people through fake organisations with fake Covid test reports, taking advantage of the helplessness of the Covid patients have been lodged at several police stations, on the basis of which a police investigation has been launched.