Four held for black marketing of oxygen concentrators

New Delhi: Four men were arrested over alleged black marketing of oxygen concentrators in south Delhi’s Lodhi Colony area, police said on Thursday.

The accused have been identified as Gaurav (47), a resident of Lajpat Nagar, Satish Sethi (44), a resident of East of Kailash, Vikrant (29), a resident of Mahipalpur, and Hitesh (32), a resident of Arjun Nagar, they said.

According to police, they have recovered 419 oxygen concentrators that were to be sold in black market.

During patrolling around 5 pm on Wednesday, it came to notice that Nege Ju Restaurant and Bar in central market Lodhi Colony was found open and some suspicious activity was going on, a senior police officer said.

After searching the restaurant, one person was found working on a laptop and was getting online orders of oxygen concentrators, he said.

Police searched the restaurant premises and a total of 32 boxes of oxygen concentrators having capacity of nine and five liters, one box of thermal scanner and one box containing N 95 masks were found, the officer said.

Police got to know that the owner of the restaurant-cum-bar is one Navneet Kalra, he said.

A case was registered and four accused persons were arrested, Deputy Commissioner of Police (south) Atul Kumar Thakur said.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed about their warehouse in Khullar Farm at Mandi Village in Chhatarpur, following which a search was conducted and 387 more units of oxygen concentrators were recovered which were being sold at exorbitant prices in black market, the DCP said.

Invoices of these oxygen concentrators were recovered. Stickers of maximum retail price (MRP) indicating prices of Rs 69,999 per concentrator were also recovered, police said.

A detailed investigation is being carried out and efforts are being made to recover more concentrators and nab other offenders behind this black marketing racket, they said.