Oxygen concentrator hoarding: ED raids Khan Chacha owner Navneet Kalra's residence, others

The ED had recently booked Khan Chacha restaurant owner Navneet Kalra and others under the anti-money laundering law, taking cognisance of a Delhi Police FIR filed on May 5 after policemen raided some restaurants and premises owned and linked to the accused. The police had recovered more than 524 of these life-saving machines from these premises and it was alleged that they were being hoarded and sold in the black market.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Friday (May 21) raided at least 10 premises linked to businessman Navneet Kalra and his associates in Delhi-NCR as part of a money-laundering probe linked to a recent case of alleged hoarding and black-marketing of oxygen concentrators, officials said. The concentrators are in short supply as they are being anxiously scoured by those gasping for breath amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Official sources said the searches are being conducted on at least 10 places in the national capital region under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The raids are aimed to gather additional evidence, they said. The ED had recently booked Kalra and others under the anti-money laundering law, taking cognisance of a Delhi Police FIR filed on May 5 after policemen raided some restaurants and premises owned and linked to Kalra. The police had recovered more than 524 of these life-saving machines from these premises and it was alleged that they were being hoarded and sold in the black market. Kalra had denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the consignment was kept for regular sale. He was sent to 14 days judicial custody by a local court here on Thursday.