Vaccine scam accused Debanjan Deb had recruited at least 18 people in his Kasba office after taking huge sums of money from them and convincing them that they were being hired by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, police sources said.

The appointees were given purported appointment letters carrying alleged forged signatures and stamps of the respective departments, police said.

“It has emerged during interrogation that around 18 people were recruited in the Kasba office by Debanjan Deb against payment. The candidates apparently paid anything between Rs 1 lakh and

Rs 3.5 lakh. We are in the process of examining each to verify the information,” said an officer.

Deb would first gain the confidence of a family by helping a member and then ask them to send candidates for recruitment, police have learned from employees and associates of Deb.

“An employee has claimed that Deb had once come across a youth who failed to crack the exam for recruitment of junior assistants in the CMC. He later recruited the youth in his Kasba office after taking money from him. The youth was under the impression that he was being hired by the CMC. Later, Deb apparently took money from the family when he extended some help to them posing as an IAS officer. We are verifying the claims,” an investigator said.

The police said Deb had masqueraded as an IAS officer posted as a joint commissioner in the CMC and organised “Covid vaccination” camps without any approval from the health department. Investigators suspect that at least some of the recipients at Deb’s camps had been administered an antibiotic.

Deb’s cousin Kanchan Deb and a man named Sarat Patra, who allegedly administered shots at Deb’s camps, were arrested late on Monday.

“Kanchan Deb knew about his cousin’s misdeeds and was party to the cheatings, while Sarat Patra used to work as a compounder for Taltala-based doctor who is no more,” an officer said.

Patra, the police said, was not trained in administering vaccines.

A magistrate on Tuesday extended Deb’s police remand.

Central agency

The enforcement directorate has written to Calcutta police seeking a copy of the FIR on the vaccine camp.

Sources in the central agency said they were contemplating a probe into the money trail relating to Deb’s income.