96 O2 concentrators recovered from popular Khan Market eatery

NEW DELHI: A day after the Delhi Police arrested four people and seized 419 oxygen concentrators, on Friday continuing their search-op recovered 96 concentrators from South Delhi's famous Khan Chacha Restaurant. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) South Delhi Atul Bhatia said: "We have recovered 96 oxygen concentrators from Khan Chacha Restaurant in Khan Market area."

Earlier in the day, Bhatia said that the police have recovered nine more concentrators. The police action comes a day after it seized 419 concentrators being sold at exorbitant rates online.

As per the police, after back to back incidents of illegal marketing of oxygen concentrators, "major outlets in Delhi are on Delhi Police's radar and the investigation against the nexus of restaurants is under way," said sources in Delhi Police.

On Thursday, police recovered 419 oxygen concentrators after conducting raids at Nege Ju Restaurant and Bar in the central market of Lodhi Colony. The owner of the two restaurants is the same and is yet to be brought for questioning as his whereabouts remain unknown.

Police said during the raid on Thursday invoices of recovered oxygen concentrators were found in the laptop. Stickers of maximum retail price (MRP) indicating prices of Rs 69,999 per concentrator were also recovered.

Police sources say they are probing into what could possibly be a larger nexus of multiple restaurants. As per police sources, the arrested accused have claimed that they imported the Oxygen Concentrators from various countries in large numbers and then sold them at a marked up price.

On Thursday, Bhatia said that during area patrolling, it came to know that Nege Ju Restaurant and Bar having address at central market Lodhi Colony was found open and some suspicious activity was going on.

"After searching the restaurant one person was found sitting on a laptop and he was getting orders online fors oxygen concentrators by Xpect Everything online portal and on searching the restaurant premises, a total of 32 boxes of Oxygen Concentrators having capacity of 9 litre and 5 Litre each and one box of thermal scanner and another box containing N95 masks were found," he had said.

Bhatia said that after verification it was found that the owner of the restaurant and bar is Navneet Kalra. He said that a case was registered under several sections of IPC, Essential Commodities Act and Epidemic Diseases Act and four accused persons — Gaurav, Satish Sethi, Vikrant and Hitesh were taken into custody. (IANS)

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