<p>Two senior executives of a South African pharma company and as many junior employees of a diagnostic lab have been arrested for facilitating and providing the “fake” negative RT-PCR test report that helped India’s first Omicron patient sneak out of the country last month. </p>.<p>The Omicron patient, a South African national, had tested positive upon arrival in Bengaluru on November 20 and was put in 14-day quarantine at a star hotel in Vasanthnagar. </p>.<p>But just four days later, he produced a negative Covid-19 test report that enabled him to not only leave the hotel but also fly out of India on November 27. All this happened even as the genomic sequencing result of his swab sample was still awaited. The result finally came on December 2, establishing him as the first Omicron patient in India. The result put the authorities under the scanner as it emerged that the negative RT-PCR test report submitted by the foreigner was fake. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/state/top-karnataka-stories/third-omicron-covid-19-infection-in-karnataka-s-africa-returnee-tests-positive-1059998.html" target="_blank">Third Omicron Covid-19 infection in Karnataka: S Africa returnee tests positive</a></strong></p>.<p>The state government announced an investigation into how the report was generated. </p>.<p>On Sunday evening, the jurisdictional High Grounds police arrested four people — Yogeshwar Mohan Persad Dokie aka Ranesh Dokie, 54, vice president, Quality Control, Adcock Ingram Ltd; Ravindranath, 36, manager, Quality Control, Adcock Ingram Ltd; Manoj Kumar K C, 24, junior executive custodian and finance at Syngene International Ltd Laboratory, and Prashanth M, 25, registration executive at the same lab. </p>.<p>The South African is one of the directors in the pharma company and has also been booked. The FIR also names the management of the hotel where he had stayed. Police also questioned some hotel employees as to how the South African was allowed to leave without the authorities being notified. A senior police officer said “necessary action” would be taken in the case. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/omicron-poses-very-high-global-risk-but-data-on-severity-limited-who-1060374.html" target="_blank">Omicron poses 'very high' global risk but data on severity limited: WHO</a></strong></p>.<p>Police said Dokie and Ravindranath had “lured” laboratory employees Kumar and Prashanth with the promise of a well-paying job at the pharma company in return for the negative RT-PCR report. </p>.<p>Meanwhile, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) said it would serve a notice on the Syngene lab seeking an explanation before taking any action. </p>.<p>“We will soon get the details of the case from the police. We will also have to give the laboratory an opportunity to explain themselves and hence we will serve it a notice seeking an explanation. Based on the response, we will take suitable action, which may include blacklisting it,” said K V Dr Trilok Chandra, Special Commissioner (Health), BBMP. </p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH videos here:</strong></p>
<p>Two senior executives of a South African pharma company and as many junior employees of a diagnostic lab have been arrested for facilitating and providing the “fake” negative RT-PCR test report that helped India’s first Omicron patient sneak out of the country last month. </p>.<p>The Omicron patient, a South African national, had tested positive upon arrival in Bengaluru on November 20 and was put in 14-day quarantine at a star hotel in Vasanthnagar. </p>.<p>But just four days later, he produced a negative Covid-19 test report that enabled him to not only leave the hotel but also fly out of India on November 27. All this happened even as the genomic sequencing result of his swab sample was still awaited. The result finally came on December 2, establishing him as the first Omicron patient in India. The result put the authorities under the scanner as it emerged that the negative RT-PCR test report submitted by the foreigner was fake. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/state/top-karnataka-stories/third-omicron-covid-19-infection-in-karnataka-s-africa-returnee-tests-positive-1059998.html" target="_blank">Third Omicron Covid-19 infection in Karnataka: S Africa returnee tests positive</a></strong></p>.<p>The state government announced an investigation into how the report was generated. </p>.<p>On Sunday evening, the jurisdictional High Grounds police arrested four people — Yogeshwar Mohan Persad Dokie aka Ranesh Dokie, 54, vice president, Quality Control, Adcock Ingram Ltd; Ravindranath, 36, manager, Quality Control, Adcock Ingram Ltd; Manoj Kumar K C, 24, junior executive custodian and finance at Syngene International Ltd Laboratory, and Prashanth M, 25, registration executive at the same lab. </p>.<p>The South African is one of the directors in the pharma company and has also been booked. The FIR also names the management of the hotel where he had stayed. Police also questioned some hotel employees as to how the South African was allowed to leave without the authorities being notified. A senior police officer said “necessary action” would be taken in the case. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/omicron-poses-very-high-global-risk-but-data-on-severity-limited-who-1060374.html" target="_blank">Omicron poses 'very high' global risk but data on severity limited: WHO</a></strong></p>.<p>Police said Dokie and Ravindranath had “lured” laboratory employees Kumar and Prashanth with the promise of a well-paying job at the pharma company in return for the negative RT-PCR report. </p>.<p>Meanwhile, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) said it would serve a notice on the Syngene lab seeking an explanation before taking any action. </p>.<p>“We will soon get the details of the case from the police. We will also have to give the laboratory an opportunity to explain themselves and hence we will serve it a notice seeking an explanation. Based on the response, we will take suitable action, which may include blacklisting it,” said K V Dr Trilok Chandra, Special Commissioner (Health), BBMP. </p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH videos here:</strong></p>