Fake Covid tests come to the fore in Bengaluru amid rise in cases

Fake Covid-19 tests are making a comeback with authorities ramping up testing in the wake of rising Covid cases.

On Wednesday, Ignatius Rodrigues, a resident of Thanisandra (north Bengaluru), who has never given a Covid test received a message that his samples were collected and sent to a laboratory for testing. While Rodrigues was sure that none of his family members had given a test recently, he was worried about privacy and the after-effects.

“I have never given an RT-PCR test. Also, I have never visited the laboratory mentioned in the message for any other purpose. This development is confusing and concerning, especially given the rise in the number of cases,” Rodrigues told DH.

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Rodrigues has already reached out to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials who have promised to look into the matter.

“They asked me if I had shared my CoWIN OTP or access code with anybody. I have not done that either. They have assured me that they will investigate the matter,” he said.

Testing process

BBMP Special Commissioner (Health) Dr Trilok Chandra told DH that the civic body has dedicated teams to oversee the testing process across the city.

“Our teams randomly visit testing sites to ensure such fake samples are not recorded. Also, our health officers and zonal officials keep a close watch on the testing process in their jurisdiction,” Dr Chandra said.

Senior BBMP officials said such incidents were also reported during the second Covid wave. “This probably happens when the targets are increased. It was the same case during the peak of the second wave,” a BBMP official said.