Days after Delhi Police carried out raids on three restaurants and recovered 524 oxygen concentrators, the police have accessed an audio clip where businessman Navneet Kalra, the owner of all three restaurants, can allegedly be heard marketing and discussing the allotment of the oxygen concentrators.
According to the reports, the Delhi Police has recovered an audio clip in which Navneet Kalra is allegedly heard discussing the allotment of oxygen concentrators to his “friends” in the Khan Market area.
In the audio clip, Navneet Kalra can be heard saying that he has “too much pressure” on him and he cannot answer all the calls.
“I have 2 lakh calls to attend, so I won’t be able to answer each and everybody’s personal question. Which model is sent to you is detailed in the self-explanatory messages…I can give one machine [oxygen concentrator] per person to the people in Khan Market for their use,” Navneet Kalra is heard saying.
Further, Kalra in the audio says that if anyone needed a machine, then they have to block by 3 o clock. “I am out of machines, so I can’t allocate the machines to even Khan Market friends. So please share this message…I have too much pressure on me,” Navneet Kalra is heard saying.
Delhi Police raids Navneet Kalra’s restaurant in Khan Market
It is pertinent to note that Delhi Police on Friday had recovered 105 oxygen concentrators during the raids at two restaurants – Khan Chacha and Town Hall, situated in Lutyen Delhi’s Khan Market. On Thursday, Delhi Police had also recovered 419 oxygen concentrators from a restaurant-cum-bar in south Delhi’s Lodhi Colony area.
Navneet Kalra is the owner of all three restaurants. Following the raids, Kalra switched off his mobile phone and believed to have fled the city. It is important to note that Navneet Kalra was felicitated by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government in 2020. He was among the 48 personalities honoured as ‘Delhi ke Nirmata’ by the AAP government after returning to power.
According to the police, Kalra took orders for oxygen concentrators were taken via an online portal as well as through WhatsApp groups. The accused has been importing the oxygen concentrators since October last year. As demands for Oxygen concentrators increased in February this year, he imported more such machines and stored them at different restaurants.
The seized oxygen concentrators were imported from China by a company. The cost of one oxygen concentrator was between Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000. However, the accused were selling the machines at exorbitant prices anywhere between Rs 50,000 to 70,000.
The Delhi Police had also arrested another person identified as Gourav Khanna in connection with hoarding of Oxygen concentrators at a popular restaurant Khan Chacha in the national capital.
The 47-year-old Gourav Khanna, the CEO of Matrix Cellular Services Ltd, was arrested in connection with the alleged black marketing of the Oxygen concentrators. Khanna’s companies were involved in importing the equipment, said Delhi Police. The Delhi Police had said that Matrix Cellular had received a consignment of 650 oxygen concentrators, of which 524 have been recovered.
