Oxygen concentrators hoarding: Delhi Police transfers case to Crime Branch

New Delhi, May 08: The Delhi Police has transferred the case of alleged black-marketing and hoarding of oxygen concentrators in which over 500 machines were recovered to the Crime Branch, officials said on Saturday.

On Friday, police recovered 105 oxygen concentrators during raids at two upscale restaurants in the Khan Market area and arrested one person.

Police on Thursday recovered 419 oxygen concentrators during raids at a restaurant and a farmhouse in south Delhi and arrested four men. A senior police officer said that the case of alleged hoarding of 524 oxygen concentrators has been transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch.

"With further seizure of 105 #OxygenConcentrator from Khan Chacha & Town Hall, 2 upscale restaurants in Khan Mkt, total 524 seized frm #blackmarketers Owner Navneet Kalra, also owns Dayal Opticals, is on run. Manager, 3 staffers arrested by #DelhiPolice SouthDist. Further raids on," the Delhi Police had tweeted.

Navneet Kalra is the owner of all the three restaurants. His mobile phone is switched off and he is absconding, the police said. The oxygen concentrators had been imported from China by a private company.

The cost of one oxygen concentrator was between Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000. Some of them had a capacity of five litres and some of nine litres. The accused were selling the machines between Rs 50,000, to 70,000, police said.

Ninety-six oxygen concentrators were on Friday recovered from popular restaurant Khan Chacha and nine from Town Hall restaurant, both situated in the Khan Market area, they said. The accused were produced before a court, which granted one-day police custody, a senior police officer had said.