Five arrested over reused nose swabs scam at Indonesian airport

Indonesian police have arrested several staff members from a pharmaceutical company after they allegedly reused nasal swabs to test for COVID-19 at an airport.

Police believe the scam had been in operation at Kualanamu airport in Medan, North Sumatra since December, the BBC reports.

Up to 9000 passengers may have been tested with reused nasal swabs supplied by state-owned company Kimia Farma.

Licensed vocational nurse Caren Williams, left, collects a nasal swab sample from a traveller at a COVID-19 testing site at the Los Angeles International Airport. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Passengers in Indonesia are required to have a negative test if they want to fly and are given the option of having the screening done at the airport using an antigen rapid test kit.

The police investigation was sparked after passengers complained of false positive test results, local media report.

An undercover police officer posing as a passenger was tested and received a positive result. A search of the test site revealed a test kit which had been recycled.

Five Kimia Farma employees have been arrested and are accused of washing nasal swab sticks and reusing them.

According to the South China Morning Post, two lawyers who regularly flew out of Kualanamu airport say are planning to sue Kimia Farma.