The Delhi Police have busted an oxygen concentrator racket after they recovered a large number of medical equipment from multiple locations including bar and restaurants in south Delhi. The latest raid was conducted on the popular restaurant Khan Chacha in Khan Market, prompting Hindutva supporters to link the racket to the Muslim community. However, the bigots were left red-faced after it emerged that the owner of Khan Chacha restaurants is one Navneet Kalra, who’s now believed to be absconding.
The Delhi Police had earlier raided a restaurant and bar Nege Ju, also owned by Navneet Kalra, and recovered 419 oxygen cylinders. Sharing the video of their raids, the Delhi Police had tweeted, “BIGGEST HAUL | 419 #OxygenConcentrators seized by @DCPSouthDelhi #DelhiPolice PS Lodhi cly team from restaurant & bar Nege Ju and a south delhi farmhouse in raid on #hoarding #blackmarketing Were criminally profiteering by selling at 3 & half time rates to needy ppl. 4 arrested.”
BIGGEST HAUL |
419 #OxygenConcentrators seized by @DCPSouthDelhi #DelhiPolice PS Lodhi cly team from restaurant & bar Nege Ju and a south delhi farmhouse in raid on #hoarding #blackmarketing Were criminally profiteering by selling at 3 & half time rates to needy ppl. 4 arrested. pic.twitter.com/eJwDvw3fID— #DilKiPolice Delhi Police (@DelhiPolice) May 6, 2021
No sooner did the news of the police raid at Khan Chacha restaurant emerge, Hindutva supporters began to celebrate as they felt the owner of the restaurant was a Muslim given the association of Khan, a Muslim surname, to the brand. However, netizens moved in with lightning speed to clarify that the owner was Kalra, who is accused of cheating the restaurants’ legal owners to usurp the popular brand name.
Navneet Kalra of Khan Chacha is absconding. 4 arrested so far including his manager Hitesh. 524 Oxygen concentrators recovered so far
— Manak Gupta (@manakgupta) May 7, 2021
It’s needing to be expressed over and over again that the owner of Khan Chacha is not a Muslim
— Jairaj Singh (@JairajSinghR) May 7, 2021
Owner of Khan Chacha is one Navneet Kalra. He also owns Nege & Ju where cylinders were found yesterday. Now he’s found to have hoarded oxygen concentrators!
So hold your excitement dear crows. Advance warning. #justsaying— Rifat Jawaid (@RifatJawaid) May 7, 2021
Navneet Kalra turned out be a real scamsters, first Nege & Ji Bar now Khan Chacha emerges as hub of hoarding and selling oxygen concentrators. Sad that he scammed the real Khan Chacha’s family of the legitimate use of the name.
— Aditya Menon (@AdityaMenon22) May 7, 2021
The Bjp bigots have rushed to attack Khan chacha as a hoarder of oxygen concentrators on the black market. Bigots do check which “Hindu” owns that restaurant & others in Khan market. Tip N K are the initials
— Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) May 7, 2021
I feel sorry for poor Khan Chacha & his family. First they lost the use of their name to Navneet Kalra & now they are being dragged through the mud for no fault of theirs because said Kalra was using his eateries to store concentrators allegedly for sale on the black market. https://t.co/4KgL4gFqYo
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 7, 2021
According to an estimate, the Delhi Police have recovered more than 524 oxygen concentrators from their raids. Both Kalra and his manager Hitesh are on the run. The police were alerted by the racket after they stumbled upon a WhatsApp message sent by Kalra to one of his associates detailing his bank account details. The Delhi Police busting the racket involving Kalra assumes significance given that the national capital lost tens of thousands of people for the want of oxygen during the pandemic.
