Gaurav Khanna & Navneet Kalra hoarded 7,000 concentrators to sell in black: Police

New Delhi: Further probe into the case involving arrested Matrix Cellular Services Ltd. CEO Gaurav Khanna who along with absconding restaurateur Navneet Kalra was allegedly involved in hoarding and black-marketing oxygen concentrators, has revealed that the accused persons procured around 7,000 of these concentrators from both local vendors and Chinese companies and further sold them at inflated prices to customers.

Police claimed that four other accused persons who were earlier arrested have allegedly claimed that Khanna managed the operations and fixed the rates.

Police on Sunday sought a 5-day police custody remand from a local court here, claiming in its application that they need to "verify whether any authorization/license for procurement/purchase/storage and sale of the recovered articles were obtained by the alleged companies".

They further claimed that they wanted to trace the money trail in the case and wanted "to unearth the whole nexus and conspiracy behind the black-marketing.

However, Duty Magistrate Paras Dalal turned down the police's plea and sent Khanna to 14-days' judicial custody.

Police have claimed that they have so far recovered as many as 524 oxygen concentrators from Matrix's Chattarpur-based warehouse and restaurants, Khan Chacha, Nege Ju and Townhall, all three of them owned by Navneet Kalra who is currently absconding.

Police have already arrested Matrix's Vice President Gaurav Suri along with three other accused persons. All of them have been booked under several sections of IPC, Epidemic Disease Act and Essential Commodities Act, police added.

In their application before the court, police have alleged that the accused company sold the oxygen cylinders to customers with a profit margin of Rs 40,000 to 42,000 per piece. "Some of the delivery of oxygen concentrators was given by them from Khullar Farm...and Nege Ju Restaurant…" Police also claimed that the company also sold around 300-350 oxygen concentrators to Kalra, Suri and Captain Wali, who was the admin and Legal Head of the company.

Police sources had earlier claimed that Khanna imported the concentrators at a price of between Rs. 16,000 to Rs. 22,000 each and sold it for Rs. 70,000.

Meanwhile, Khanna has also moved the Delhi High Court for releasing the seized medical equipments, claiming in the plea that the police seizing the same was "arbitrary", "whimsical" and "grossly irresponsible"

The petition claimed that the accused persons were acquiring and importing the oxygen concentrators from various third parties and were "legitimately selling the same to those customers who required the same".

Advocate Samudra Sarangi, on behalf of Khanna and Matrix, said, "...Matrix customers purchase these concentrators through online mode and payment is made through banking channels, hence there is no cash transaction...the allegation of black-marketing and hoarding is baseless in law...95% of the stock sold to customers is before Rs. 5,0000". Khanna's regular bail plea and Kalra anticipatory bail application will likely be heard on Monday (today).