Lab workers from Indonesia caught reusing swabs for COVID-19 tests

By Lokmat English Desk | Published: May 5, 2021 04:25 PM2021-05-05T16:25:43+5:302021-05-05T16:25:43+5:30

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The world is plagued by the Coronavirus pandemic and still some people are busy scamming and cheating in such trying times.

A similar sensational incident has come to light in Indonesia. Many employees of a pharmaceutical company played with people's lives. The object they used to take the sample from the nose was washed once and used again (Firm busted for reusing covid nasal swab test)

According to police, at least 9,000 people fell victim to the scam at Maiden Airport. According to the BBC, the fraudulent passengers have filed a case against the state-owned company Kimia Pharma.

Nasal swab testing is common in many countries, including India, during global epidemics. The scam took place at North Sumatra's Kuala Lumpur airport in December last year, police said. However, it was not clear how the scam came to light.

COVID negative report is required for air travel in Indonesia. Therefore, testing has been arranged at the airport. The airport administration was doing this test using the engine rapid test kit provided by Kimia Pharma.

Five employees of the company, including the manager, were arrested last week. He is suspected of violating health and consumer law. Once the nasal sample stick was used, it was washed, packed and sold again.

According to local media reports, the police have registered a case after 23 people lodged complaints in the case. An investigation has also been launched. It is believed that these people made a profit of around Rs 92 lakh from this scam.

It is also being investigated that an employee built a luxurious house with the money received from this. Kimia Pharma is headquartered in Jakarta. The company fired all the accused.

According to a report in the South China Morning Post, some passengers are preparing to sue the company. In the collective case, compensation of 100 crore Indonesian rupees is being demanded for each passenger.