Navneet Kalra arrested for black marketing of oxygen concentrators
The Delhi Police arrested businessman Navneet Kalra on Sunday night for alleged black marketing and hoarding of oxygen concentrators amid the coronavirus pandemic, officials said. The businessman had been on the run for over a week since the seizure of more than 500 oxygen concentrators from three restaurants owned by him in the national capital.
Kalra had earlier moved the High Court for anticipatory bail
On Friday, the Delhi High Court had declined to grant Kalra interim protection from arrest in the case. Kalra had moved the High Court for anticipatory bail on May 13 late evening after a sessions court denied him the relief. The concentrators are crucial medical equipment used for COVID-19 patients and are in high demand amid the second wave of the pandemic.
Concentrators were being sold at much higher prices
Earlier this month, during a raid, 524 oxygen concentrators were recovered from Kalra's three restaurants, Khan Chacha, Nege & Ju, and Town Hall. The case was subsequently transferred to the Delhi Police Crime Branch. 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 apiece.
Previously, the Delhi Police had arrested four people
Previously, the Delhi Police arrested at least four people in connection with the case, including Hitesh Prakash, the 32-year-old manager of Kalra's Nege & Ju restaurant. The other three staffers to go to jail were Gaurav Singh, Satish Sethi, and Vikrant Singh. A case had been lodged under Sections of the Essential Commodities Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.
India COVID-19 tally has crossed the 2.46 crore mark
According to the Union Health Ministry, till Sunday morning, India reported a total of 2,46,84,077 COVID-19 cases. The death toll has reached 2,70,284. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 2,07,95,335 patients have recovered, while 36,18,458 cases involve active infections. In the past 24 hours alone, India recorded 3,11,170 new infections and 4,077 fresh fatalities. 18,22,20,164 vaccine doses have been administered so far.
