The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has arrested three suspects on allegations of operating a ring selling fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates at Seke South Clinic in Chitungwiza.
The three arrested yesterday are the pest controller at the clinic, Sekai Gabriel, who was the first to be picked up after police asked the public for help tracking her down, along with nurse Shorai Sithori and the suspected outside agent Lloyd Chidziva, who is alleged to be the person who found customers prepared to pay US$25 to US$50 for the fake cards and brought them to the clinic.
Last night national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi announcing the three arrests said: “I can confirm that the police, working with the Special Anti-Corruption Unit, have arrested Sekai Gabriel, pest controller at Seke South Clinic, Shorai Sithori, a nurse, and Lloyd Chidziva, an agent, for corruptly selling Covid vaccination cards. They are all in police custody. They will appear in court soon.”
The action by the police and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit started after publication of an investigative report by The Herald that found that people were allegedly paying between US$25 and US$50 to be issued with forged cards in Chitungwiza without being vaccinated.
A Herald reporter pretending to be a cross-border trader bought one of these vaccination cards for US$25 without being vaccinated after making contact with an external agent who had dealings with the clinic.
Initially the police wished to interview Gabriel. An attempt to arrest Gabriel failed on Tuesday as she could not be located. However, police arrested her yesterday after issuing press statements appealing for information helpful in the arrest of the suspect.
Source: Herald
