Acting on a tip-off, Faridabad police have arrested one Congress leader named Bijendra Mavi for his alleged involvement in black marketing of oxygen cylinders. A case was registered against the Congress leaders under various sections including the Disaster Management Act after the police found 50 oxygen cylinders from his house at Indra Complex Colony, Faridabad, Haryana. Police informed that the accused had hidden the oxygen cylinders in his car.
According to reports, Khedipul police were patrolling on Tigaon Road, Faridabad, when their informer tipped them off about the Congress leader’s involvement in black marketing of oxygen cylinders. Based on the information provided, police conducted a raid. Drug control officer Sandeep Gahlan was also present.
On checking the Congress leader’s vehicle, 42 empty and 8 filled cylinders were found. The police asked Mavi to produce the license and required permits for the oxygen cylinders. When the accused could not produce valid documents, police took him into their custody and seized the 50 oxygen cylinders.
On interrogation, the Congress leader confessed to his crime. He informed that earlier he used to work in a private oxygen cylinder supply company. Owing to the shortage of oxygen supplies in various states amid the Covid-19 surge, the Congress leader started to supply the cylinders in private hospitals on his own. He procured these cylinders from various dealers in Faridabad and supplied them to private hospitals.
The accused confessed that when he supplied oxygen cylinders to the hospitals, he use to secretly take out some gas from each cylinder and refill it in empty cylinders which he then black marketed.
Faridabad police investigating the case informed that the Congress leader would be produced in court and his remand would be sought. A through investigation would be conducted in the said case, confirmed the police.
Black marketing of medical oxygen becoming rampant amid Covid surge
After Remdesivir drug, other sought-after items sold in the black market for profit amidst the existing COVID crisis are medical oxygen cylinders, concentrators, and flowmeters. Recently, several cases of black marketing of oxygen concentrators and medical equipment have recently come to the fore. Owing to this, mostly all states have in the last few days, stepped up actions against illegal hoarding of oxygen cylinders and its black-marketing.