The Delhi Police has arrested three persons, including a woman, for allegedly cheating people on the pretext of selling oxygen cylinder, officials said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Priyesh (27) and Yashika (26), both residents of Indirapuram (Ghaziabad), and Phagun (29), a resident of Dilshad Garden, they said.
The matter came to light Monday after a person named Tushar Gupta reported that one of his Covid-19 positive relatives was duped when he called a mobile number circulating on WhatsApp for oxygen cylinders.
The person asked him to pay Rs 45,000 for one cylinder, a senior police officer said.
He transferred the amount to that person. However, after receiving the money, the accused started ignoring calls and messages from the complainant.
During investigation, police obtained the account details of the complainant and the accused. It was revealed that in three days, a total of Rs three lakh were deposited in the account of Priyesh and later transferred to account of Phagun, the officer said.
Police arrested Phagun from his house in Dilshad Garden. On his instance, main accused Priyesh and his fiancé Yashika were also apprehended, police said.
Interrogation revealed that Priyesh and Phagun are friends. They were doing odd jobs for the last six months and were in need of money, they said.
They circulated the mobile number of Priyesh on different WhatsApp groups. They used the bank account number of Yashika in which Priyesh got transferred the money which was transferred to the account of Phagun and later withdrawn, police said.
In another incident, a 44-year-old ambulance driver and his associate were arrested for allegedly trying to sell oxygen cylinder at higher rates, police said.
The accused have been identified as Shambhu Yadav, a resident of Dakshin Puri, and Anoop Kumar (22), a resident of Uttar Pradesh, they said.
On Wednesday, information was received that one person was trying to sell an oxygen cylinder at high price, following which police laid a trap near Sainik Farm, gate number 1 on MB Road and conducted raid, a senior police officer said, adding the accused were arrested.
Yadav works as an ambulance driver, and Kumar as an emergency medical technician. Yadav got oxygen cylinders refilled for use of ambulance patients and sold them to Covid-19 patients at exorbitant prices, the officer said.
Kumar used to contact needy persons on the pretext of providing them oxygen cylinders. A 50-liter oxygen cylinder was recovered from their possession, police said.
Similarly, in the southeast district, a 55-year-old businessman was arrested for alleged black-marketing oxygen concentrators, police said.
Police got information on Wednesday that one person was trying to sell an oxygen concentrator in Lajpat Nagar.
Police said a dummy client called the accused to deliver the oxygen concentrator, but the person asked him to pick it from Sukhdev Vihar. The accused demanded Rs 47,000 and money was transferred through UPI.
Around 9:20 pm, police apprehended the accused from his residence at Sukhdev Vihar. He has been identified as Avinash Gupta.
Gupta said that he is the owner of SK Enterprises and deals in medical electronic items. He purchased the machines from one Nicholas Heath Care Ltd, Sonipat, Haryana. The Recovered oxygen concentrators are Chinese product and available at the price of Rs 8,807 to 11,487 online, police added.
The west district police said they have arrested two persons who were allegedly indulged in black marketing of imported oxygen concentrator and steamers.
The accused have been identified as Hemant Mehta (55) and Hari (54), they said.
"Information was received that one Hemant Mehta has imported oxygen concentrators and other equipment and is selling them at Rs 1,30,000 to 1,40,000 in black market in the area of Janakpuri.
"Later, police laid a trap and apprehended Hari on Wednesday from Janakpuri. At the instance of driver Hari, his owner Mehta was apprehended who disclosed that he is an importer and imported 50 oxygen concentrators from China. He was selling them in huge amount," senior police official (west) Urvija Goel said.
Imported 17 oxygen concentrators, along with 17 voltage stabilizers of concentrators and 270 steamers were recovered from the possession of Mehta, they said.
Eighteen oxygen concentrators, 18 voltage stabilizers, 270 steamers and one car were recovered from their possession, police said.
In the north district, police arrested a 31-year-old man for allegedly selling oxygen concentrator and cylinders at exorbitant prices, police said.
Police apprehended accused Harshit Gupta from Wazirabad flyover. Four oxygen concentrators and nine oxygen cylinders were recovered from his possession, they said.
The accused said he purchased the equipment from one Anwar Malik from Paharganj and planned to sell oxygen concentrator at Rs 1,25,000 and oxygen cylinders at a price of Rs 32,000, police added.
