KOZHIKODE: The Kozhikode-based Micro Health Laboratories (MHL) has approached the police citing the possibility of Arma Laboratories having tampered with the Covid tests of 44 Malappuram natives employed with the Dubai police.
“Arma Lab had collected the swab samples of 49 people from Malappuram district who work with the Dubai police. But we received only five samples. They are set to return to the UAE,” said MHL vice-president Hamza Meladi in a petition to the Valanchery police.
The police is probing the case regarding the issuance of fake Covid negative certificates by the Valanchery-based Arma laboratories — a franchise of MHL — after tampering with a minimum of 2,500 swab samples, thereby swindling close to Rs 60 lakh. The laboratory has been sealed since and cases registered against the firm and its proprietors.
In his petition, Hamza alleged that Arma conducted antigen assay tests illegally with the swab samples which were actually meant for RT-PCR testing and issued fake negative certificates when the antigen test results came back negative.
Saying Arma has no permission to conduct any of these tests, he also demanded that the probe be extended to the person through whose tampered result the fraud came to light.
Another lab comes up against Arma
Meanwhile, another Kozhikode-based laboratory — R-Cell Diagnostics & Research Centre —has filed a complaint against Arma Laboratories with the Valanchery police.
The plaint says that Arma used to provide swabs to R-Cell too and that the latter had doubts over the former tampering with one or two test results.
“They had given some 300 swab samples to us for RT-PCR tests in the first week of September. When we grew doubtful of a case, we cut ties with Arma,” said a source with R-Cell.
5 Arma staff-members, 6 cops test +ve
Meanwhile, the probe against Arma Laboratories hit a stumbling block after five persons at Arma and six cops at the Valanchery police station turned Covid positive.
Sunil Sadath and Abdul Nazar, the mainstays of Arma, have turned positive, besides three paramedical staff. It is not certain if the six cops contracted the virus from Arma staff.
“IPC Sections 465, 468, 471 and 420 have been slapped against the accused. The probe on the complaint of R-Cell lab has also been initiated,” said Valanchery SI Ikbal C P.