ED finds Navneet Kalra, aides dealt in 7,000 oxygen concentrators

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday recovered 151 liquor bottles after it raided multiple premises linked to businessman Navneet Kalra and his associates in DelhiNCR as part of a money laundering probe linked to a recent case of alleged hoarding and blackmarketing of oxygen concentrators officials saidThe central probe agency according to official sources has widened the ambit of the investigation being conducted against Kalra by the Delhi Police Crime Branch as it suspects that 7000 oxygen concentrators were transacted by the restaurateur and his aides as the second wave of the Covid19 pandemic hit the countryThe concentrators are in short supply as they are being anxiously scoured by those gasping for breath due to the high rate of infection of coronavirusAlso Read Mumbai Oxygen blackmarketing racket busted in Sakinaka two arrestedThe sources said the searches were conducted on at least 1415 premises in the national capital region under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act PMLAAt one location linked to Kalra they said 151 scotch whiskey bottles were recoveredThe raids including at the premises of Kalras family members and the Matrix group are continuing and are aimed to gather additional evidence they saidThe ED had recently booked Kalra and others under the antimoney laundering law taking cognisance of a Delhi Police FIR filed on May 5 after policemen raided some restaurants and premises owned and linked to KalraThe police had recovered more than 524 of these lifesaving machines from these premises and it was alleged that they were being hoarded and sold in the black marketED sources said Kalra and his associates dealt in 7000 oxygen concentrators over a period of just one month MarchApril and the investigation is ongoing to ascertain how many were bought and soldKalra had denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the consignment was kept for regular saleHe was sent to 14 days judicial custody by a local court here on ThursdayThe agency officials had earlier told PTI will probe if the oxygen concentrators were illegally hoarded and sold to the family members or caregivers of coronavirusinfected patients at exorbitant prices thereby leading to generation of proceeds of crime as defined under the PMLAThe ED is empowered to question and record the statements of the accused and it can even attach their properties during the course of investigation following which it files a charge sheet before a special PMLA court seeking their prosecution under the antimoney laundering lawKalra was nabbed by Delhi Police Crime Branch sleuths from Gurgaon on Sunday night and was formally arrested the next dayHe was on the run for over a week since the seizure of the 524 oxygen concentrators from his restaurants like Khan Chacha Town Hall and Nega amp JuPolice have said the concentrators seized from Kalras restaurants were imported from China and were being sold at an exorbitant price of Rs 50000Rs 70000 each as against a cost of Rs 16000Rs 22000 eachAn oxygen concentrator is a vital medical equipment used to provide oxygen to Covid19 patients and they are in high demand amid the second wave of the pandemic being witnessed by the country at presentThe police have pressed charges under Section 420 cheating 188 disobedience to order promulgated by public servant 120B criminal conspiracy and 34 common intention of the Indian Penal Code Essential Commodities Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act against Kalra and othersFour employees of Matrix Cellular company including its CEO and vice president were also arrested in this case by the policeThey were however granted bail by the courtKalra is alleged to have purchased the concentrators from Matrix Cellular which had imported themThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever