Debanjan Deb has photographs with several politicians including Trinamool MPs
The alleged vaccine fraudster in Kolkata who held at least three vaccination camps where he may have given 'fake' vaccines to as many as 2,000 people was a university drop out who started making music albums - one of which is called 'Boiled Childhood'.
When the pandemic started, he drifted into a business of buying masks, sanitisers and PPE kits wholesale and either selling them to whoever wanted supplies or even giving them away for free.
What is causing great consternation in political circles is photos on his Twitter handle with multiple Trinamool leaders -- and not just sneaky selfies that politicians are often subjected to.
Debanjan Deb has photographs with veteran minister Subrata Mukherjee and Kolkata Municipal Corporation Chairman Firhad Hakim. The accused posed as a joint commissioner of the corporation.
What is more, his name is engraved on a plaque below a bust of Rabindranath Tagore at a library in central Kolkata inaugurated on 26 February this year.
The plaque also has names of Firhad Hakim, Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandopadhyay, the local MP and local TMC MLA Nayana Bandopadhyay.
Locals say since the alleged scam surfaced, someone seems to have tried to paint over his name with some black substance.
More recently, he even shared a stage with newly elected Trinamool MLA from Sonarpur Lovely Moitra. She has claimed ignorance about Deb.
Trinamool leaders have denied any previous knowledge about the accused. if he photobombed official events, they could not do anything about it, they said.
The Kolkata Police has confirmed that several vials of an anti-biotic injection had been seized from Debanjan Deb's office as well as fake labels of Covishield.
The police are yet to find is a motive for the alleged fraud and source of funds to buy the fake vaccines and pay staff at his NGO called 'Urban Development'.
The accused reportedly also ran a fake job racket. A probe is on to find out if he took money from applicants.