Khan Chacha owner Navneet Kalra arrested in oxygen black marketing case

After being on the run for over a week, businessman Navneet Kalra was arrested by the Delhi Police on Sunday night for alleged black marketing and hoarding of oxygen concentrators amid Coid-19 pandemic.

The Delhi Police had seized more than 500 oxygen concentrators from three restaurants owned by him. The concentrators are a crucial medical equipment used for COVID-19 patients. Since India is facing a huge shortage of medical oxygen, there's high demand for them as Covid-19 cases continue to rise across the country.

Kalra had moved the Delhi High Court against his arrest, seeking anticipatory bail on May 13. A sessions court had also denied him the relief earlier. The Delhi HC on Friday also declined to grant the businessman interim protection from arrest.

During a recent raid, the Delhi Police Crime Branch had recovered 524 oxygen concentrators from three restaurants owned by Kalra -- Khan Chacha, Nega Ju and Town Hall. The police claimed the concentrators were imported from China and were being sold at an exorbitant price of Rs 50,000 to 70,000 a piece as against its cost of Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000.

Delhi Police found the restobar open and spotted suspicious activity inside. They found a person sitting with a laptop and taking orders for oxygen concentrators through an online portal. Upon searching, 32 oxygen concentrators of 9-litre and 5-litre capacities were found. FIR under sections of the Essential Commodities Act and Epidemic Diseases Act was registered against the four men who were operating the racket.

Also read: Vedanta dispatches 1st batch of medical oxygen from Sterlite plant

Also read: COVID-19: 2 arrested for black marketing, hoarding oxygen concentrators, oximeters in Delhi

With PTI inputs