KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — Three people were arrested in a raid yesterday for selling Covid-19 vaccines without authorisation.
Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Commissioner Datuk Azmi Abu Kassim said the trio, two women and one man between the ages of 23 and 50, will be investigated under Section 420 and 511 of the Penal Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.
“The Commercial Crimes Investigation Unit from the Putrajaya District headquarters started an investigation after a report was made by a research officer attached to the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF).
“Acting on the report and intelligence we received, a unit from Putrajaya’s Commercial Crimes division and Kuala Lumpur’s Intelligence and Operations Unit raided and arrested three individuals involved in the case,” he said in a statement.
Azmi said six handphones and several documents were also confiscated in the raid, and that three have been remanded until June 26.
“Investigations showed that the three had contacted people at random to offer two complete doses of the Covid-19 vaccine at RM420, to which payment will be made after receiving the vaccines.
“The CITF Chief Secretariat has also confirmed that the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Supply (JKJAV) has not given any approval to anyone to sell the Covid-19 vaccine,” he said.
Yesterday, the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) urged relevant authorities as well as the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) to conduct a full investigation into the matter Covid-19 vaccines being sold privately, asking for stern action to be taken against them.
The MMA said it was informed that Covid-19 vaccinations were being sold by a non-healthcare private company to private groups at around RM200 for two doses per person, with a private healthcare facility engaged to carry out the vaccinations.
However, it did not elaborate on the claim.