BRASILIA, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Federal Police on Wednesday searched the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro and seized his cell phone as part of an investigation into an alleged falsification of COVID-19 vaccination records.

During the operation, officers also arrested Bolsonaro's assistant Lt. Col. Mauro Cid as well as two of his security guards.

Bolsonaro confirmed the raid on his home in Brasilia to journalists and denied any role in allegedly forging documents, reiterating that he had never taken a COVID vaccine.

The Federal Police carried out a total of 16 search and arrest warrants, as well as six preventive detention orders, in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, said the Federal Police in a statement.

The investigation centers around the suspected insertion of false vaccination data in the Health Ministry's databases between November 2021 and December 2022, it said.

The Federal Supreme Court is overseeing the investigation into the charges, which include violating health regulations and participating in criminal associations.