Hong Kong police arrest lab assistant accused of tampering with coronavirus test samples
- The worker was captured by security cameras appearing to shake saliva samples at the Tai Po offices of the private lab BGI
- An investigation suggests the suspect acted alone, and police are still trying to identify a motive for the alleged tampering
The 24-year-old man, who joined the company last November, was captured by security cameras appearing to shake saliva test samples at the company’s Tai Po office on February 9 and 11, according to a police source.
The source said the surveillance cameras were set up recently, a move believed to be part of corrective measures taken by the firm after recent false positive results were found from its virus tests.
The man was arrested at his home in North Point around 10pm on Thursday, hours after police received a report from the private lab.
Without naming the lab, acting superintendent Sung Ching-wai of Tai Po Police Station said the man was arrested on suspicion of damaging specimens for Covid-19 tests.
“The suspect was accused of deliberately shaking utensils containing deep-throat saliva specimens in order to affect the test results in the laboratory on three occasions on February 9 and 11,” she said.