JOHOR BAHRU: Johor Police have arrested eight individuals including three workers of a private clinic here on alleged involvement in the sale and purchase of fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

Newly appointed Johor Police chief Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said all the suspects, five of whom were buyers aged between 24 and 42, were nabbed last Monday and Tuesday following a report lodged by the owner of the clinic on Sunday.

He said the police were now in the midst of tracking down 30 other individuals who had bought the digital certificate without getting the jab, including a 44-year-old man believed to be the mastermind of the activity.

"The sale of the fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate is believed to have been active over the past month, targeting those who refuse to be vaccinated or the anti-vaxxers.

"It is learned that each buyer has to pay between RM300 and RM650 to get the fake certificate, while the runner or the middleman will get a RM125 commission for each certificate sold," he told a press conference at the Johor Police Contingent headquarters here today.

Kamarul Zaman said the two workers of the clinic had been remanded for four days, while the remand order against the other one will be sought later today to facilitate further investigation into the case.

He also called on those who had bought the fake vaccination certificates without getting the jab to surrender themselves to the police.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 or Section 511 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years, with a fine and whipping, upon conviction, as well as Section 22 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act, which carries a maximum of two years' jail or fine, or both, upon conviction.

-- BERNAMA