Covid-19 pandemic: Oxygen concentrators seized from 2 Khan Market eateries

The Delhi Police recovered over 100 oxygen concentrators from two restaurants — Khan Chacha and Town Hall — in the upscale Khan Market in the national capital during a raid, officials said on Friday.

 

According to the police, 96 oxygen concentrators were recovered from Khan Chacha and nine were seized from Town Hall.

 

The recovery of the oxygen concentrators comes after the arrest of four men from south Delhi's Lodhi Colony on Wednesday. After their arrest, the police had recovered 419 oxygen concentrators that were meant to be sold in the black market.

 

The police said that during interrogation, one of the men disclosed that they were hoarding oxygen concentrators in these restaurants at Khan Market, which is counted among the world's most expensive retail locations.

 

Both these restaurants are owned by Navneet Kalra, the police said, adding that his involvement in the matter is being investigated. Kalra also owns another restaurant where the police had conducted raids and recovered oxygen concentrators on Wednesday.

 

Earlier, the police had said that Nege Ju Restaurant and Bar in Lodhi Colony was found to be open on Wednesday. A man with a laptop at the restaurant was found taking online orders for oxygen concentrators.

 

The police said they recovered 32 boxes of oxygen concentrators, one of thermal scanner and another containing N 95 masks during a search at the restaurant. “A case was registered and four persons arrested,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Atul Kumar Thakur said.

 

During interrogation, the accused revealed that their warehouse was in Chhatarpur, following which a search was conducted and 387 more units of oxygen concentrators recovered; these were being sold at exorbitant prices in the black market, the DCP said.

 

Invoices of these oxygen concentrators were recovered as were MRP (maximum retail price) stickers displaying a price of Rs 69,999 per concentrator.