Police get 3-day custody of Kalra in oxygen concentrators case

He was arrested from a farmhouse on outskirts of Gurugram

A city court on Monday sent businessman and restaurateur Navneet Kalra to police custody for three days, said a senior police officer.

Mr. Kalra was arrested on late Sunday evening from a farmhouse on the outskirts of Gurugram. He was produced before a magistrate through virtual hearing.

Unearth whole nexus

Investigating Officer (IO) Kamal Kumar asserted that his custodial interrogation is required to unearth the whole nexus and conspiracy behind black-marketing and know the trail of money transaction.

The police said they have questioned him over the evidences they have gathered from his restaurants during raids and disclosure of his staffers who were arrested during the raids on May 6 and 7 at his restaurants in Khan Market and Lodhi Colony.

The court is of the view that custodial interrogation of the accused is required for recovery of electronic devices used for the purpose of commission of alleged offences, to identify other victims exploited by him, for detailed investigation regarding his involvement and connections with Matrix and Classic Metals, the manner of procurement of oxygen concentrators, for detailed probe of financial transactions from his firm as well as to identify the other co-accused involved in the present case, as mentioned in the order copy.

The case was transferred to Crime Branch but a team of South Delhi police was also tracking him. On Sunday, they got inputs regarding his presence at a farmhouse belonging to his brother-in-law in Sohna in Gurugram. A team raided the farmhouse and arrested him.

“We got suspicious about his presence at the farmhouse after his brother-in-law’s mobile location was frequently found there. He was never a regular visitor of his farmhouse. Mr. Kalra was using his servant’s mobile phone to contact his friends and lawyers,” said the officer.

The police said that Mr. Kalra was wanted in a case of alleged black-marketing and hoarding of oxygen concentrators during the second wave of pandemic. The concentrators were imported by a mobile service provider company.