Swedish investigators are hunting Dr Hammad Al-Saaid after he was alleged to be the ringleader in a scam that saw 100,000 Swedes charged for rapid Wuhan coronavirus tests that produced false results.
The so-called ‘Doctor Group’ medical body had charged at least 100,000 Swedes for PCR tests that were administered but never analysed and also issued health certificates to those travelling overseas for an extra fee.
The group, led by Dr Al-Saaid, had charged customers 500 Swedish kronor (£42/$58) for a test and promised results in six hours. For an additional 1,000 kronor (£84/$117), the Doctor Group offered travel certificates to those who they claimed received a negative test result, Expressen reports.
Prior to making several arrests over the weekend, Swedish police raided at least five properties in the Stockholm area connected to the Doctor Group, several of which had been boarded up and required locksmiths to enter. Police did, however, find medical equipment in the Doctor Group’s main laboratory in the Stockholm no-go suburb of Kista.
Prosecutor Alexandra Bittner told Expressen that there is an arrest warrant out for 33-year-old Hammad Al-Saaid, as well as two others. Three suspects were already detained on Saturday.
During the raids, police found that one of the supposed healthcare sites lacked the proper equipment to take samples. One employee at a facility claimed to have never seen a positive coronavirus test result.