Police seeks five more days of Kalra's custody in oxygen concentrator black marketing case

The Delhi Police on Thursday asked a court here to grant five more days of custody of businessman Navneet Kalra to interrogate him for allegedly hoarding life-saving oxygen concentrators and selling them at inflated prices in the black market.

The Crime Branch produced Kalra before Metropolitan Magistrate Akanksha Garg of Saket Court at the end of the three days of his police custody.

The accused has also filed a bail application in the case, which will come up for hearing along with the application of police seeking his further remand.

During a recent raid, 524 oxygen concentrators were recovered from Khan Chacha, Town Hall, and Nege & Ju restaurants owned by Kalra.

The absconding restaurateur was nabbed from Gurugram on May 16 night and formally arrested the next day.

During the three-days custodial interrogation, the police took Kalra to the three upscale restaurants owned by him in Khan Market and Lodhi Colony.

He was also taken for the mandatory medical examination.

The police claimed that 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.

The concentrators are crucial medical equipment used for COVID-19 patients and are on high demand amid the second wave of the pandemic.

On May 5, a case was registered against Kalra under Section 420 (cheating), 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, Essential Commodities Act and Epidemic Diseases Act.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also registered a money laundering case against him.