Delhi court remands Navneet Kalra to 3-day police custody in oxygen concentrators black marketing case

File Photo

New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Monday (May 17) remanded businessman Navneet Kalra to 3-day police custody in the case related to black marketing of oxygen concentrators.

The Delhi police had sought five days' custody from the court to interrogate Kalra, who was arrested on Sunday night.

Kalra has been accused of hoarding oxygen concentrators in three restaurants in South Delhi.

The businessman was on the run for over a week since the seizure of more than 500 oxygen concentrators.

The district court had rejected Kalra's anticipatory bail plea on May 13. It had noted that the allegations were serious and custodial interrogation was required to "unearth the entire conspiracy".

Kalra had earlier moved the Delhi High Court, which also declined to grant him interim protection from arrest in the case.

The case was transferred to the Delhi Police's Crime Branch. The police claimed that the concentrators were imported from China and being sold at an exorbitant price of Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 a piece as against its cost of Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000.

On May 5, a case was registered against Kalra under sections 420 (cheating), 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by public servant), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code as also under the provisions of the Essential Commodities Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act.