The Uttarakhand police have nabbed 13 tourists with a fake RT-PCR negative report who came to visit Dehradun-Mussoorie. A probe into the matter led to the arrest of four people accused of making these fake reports. Till now, the police have found at least 100 fake RT-PCR negative reports among the tourists who are flocking the hill stations.
Uttarakhand | Police have caught 13 tourists who came to visit Dehradun-Mussoorie with a fake RT-PCR negative report in Clement Town. After probe, police have arrested 4 persons accused of making fake documents®istered a case.Till now, 100 fake RT-PCR negative reports detected
— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2021
As per reports, a large number of tourists from Delhi-NCR have been caught with fake reports followed by Haryana. After relaxation in the lockdown restrictions, the popular hill stations of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are witnessing a huge influx of tourists.
Hence, the Uttarakhand government had released an order asking all visitors to produce a negative Covid test report not older than 72 hours. The ones caught with a fake report are made to undergo a test on the spot and upon refusal, they are being denied entry into the state.
District magistrates of Dehradun, Nainital and other districts were also given orders to ensure that the Covid norms are strictly followed by all tourists to avoid the spread of infection.
Multiple reports with same SRF ID
The health department observed that the tourists were producing reports with different names but same Specimen Referral Form (SRF) ID. Reportedly, when the tourists carrying fake reports got to know of the intensified scrutiny, they began blurring the bar code. Some even tore their fake reports fearing action.
Such reports are not being accepted, however, the administration fears that thousands of tourists might have gained entry by furnishing false reports. Most tourists show the reports from their cars or vehicles making it difficult for the department to verify them through bar codes.
Asharodi Border where maximum tourists with fake reports have been nabbed will see heightened security. The health department has requested the administration to deploy additional security and constables at the checkpoints to catch the violators.
Government raises concerns
While the states, as well as the Centre, have welcomed tourists in the tourism-dependent states, the irresponsible behaviour at display has raised concerns. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the tourists to guard against complacency to prevent a third wave of the coronavirus spread.
A few days ago, Uttarakhand had to send back more than 5,000 vehicles (around 8000 people) headed for Nainital and Mussoorie as the travellers couldn’t produce necessary documents, hotel reservation papers and RT-PCR reports.
