Navneet Kalra is the owner of several restaurants and according to the reports his mobile phone is switched off and he is currently absconding.

Amid a shortage of oxygen, capital is fighting against black marketers

The country is facing a second wave of corona infection. There are reports of black marketing of all medical items and oxygen. Oxygen concentrators are considered an emergency aid for patients experiencing respiratory distress (when blood oxygen saturation is no lower than 88 percent) as they help ease the burden on their lungs. Hospitals have continued putting out SOS alerts to announce that they have run out of oxygen as critical patients and their families tweeted and queued up at langars. Meanwhile, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government has been in a long-drawn tussle with the central government to meet their increasing demands of oxygen. Oxygen concentrator was being black-marketed amidst the shortage of oxygen in Delhi. Navneet Kalra named emerged in the investigation.

Police have raided some locations. Since yesterday, more than 524 oxygen concentrators have been recovered by Aaj Tak in the Khan Market area. By raiding Khan Chacha restaurant alone, the police have recovered 96 oxygen concentrators. According to Delhi Police, the seizure started from Nege & Zoo Bar, owned by Navneet Kalra. The police are searching for Navneet Kalra. Talks about the connection of this matter with London are also coming to light. According to the police, Gagan Duggal, sitting in London, made a plan to black market oxygen concentrators and then kept them in Navneet Kalra’s restaurant and sold them. Delhi Police said that the accused were meeting these contractors from China and Hong Kong. The 5-liter oxygen concentrator was getting 16 thousand and the 9-liter oxygen concentrator was getting 20 thousand rupees. After that, it was being sold for 60 to 70 thousand rupees.

Who is Navneet Kalra?

Navneet Kalra is a well-known businessman who is associated with Dayal Optics and Khan Chacha Restaurant, Town Hall Restro Bar, and Mr. Chow.  The Delhi Police has arrested 4 people who were black marketing an oxygen concentrator in a restaurant and bar running in Lodhi Road Central Market in South Delhi. During the patrolling, the Lodhi Road police station saw a stir outside the Negi & Zoo Restaurant & Bar. When the police entered the restaurant, 4 people were caught black-marketing the oxygen concentrator. Police recovered 32 oxygen concentrators from inside the bar.

On inquiry, it was found that hundreds of oxygen contractors are also kept in a farmhouse in Delhi. The accused are using it as a warehouse. As police raided the farmhouse in Mandi village of Delhi, 387 oxygen concentrators were recovered from there. The four arrested accused have been identified as Gaurav, Satish, Vikrant, and Hitesh. Hitesh is the manager of the bar. Under his supervision, the oxygen concentrator was being black-marketed inside the bar, while its mastermind is the owner of the bar Navneet Kalra.

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A police investigation is still on to catch the mastermind behind oxygen black marketing

An FIR was registered under various sections of IPC for cheating, fraud, and violating the Essential Commodities Act and Epidemic Diseases Act. Four men, including the manager of a restaurant, were arrested in the case. According to police, these oxygen concentrators were sold through an online portal through WhatsApp as and when demands came in. Also, during the raid at Nege Ju, the police said they found a laptop that had invoices for the concentrators. During interrogation, the accused said they had a large stock of oxygen concentrators at the farmhouse. According to the police, “Due to scarcity of oxygen concentrators in the market amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the accused imported oxygen concentrators, masks and then started selling the oxygen concentrators at exorbitant prices to the citizens. Further investigation is on. 

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