One arrested in Lucknow for black marketing of oxygen cylinders

LUCKNOW : Continuing its crackdown on black marketeers, the police on Saturday arrested a medical equipment seller for supplying oxygen cylinders at exorbitant rates in Lucknow, said police officials. As many as 54 cylinders of different sizes were also seized from his possession.

In past one week, the police have seized 239 oxygen cylinders and 688 Remdesivir injections after arrest of 42 people involved in its black marketing from different parts of the state.

In the recent arrest, a medical equipment supplier, Kaushal Kumar Katiyar, was arrested from Virat Nagar locality near Pakri Ka Pull under Krishna Nagar police station limits while he was supplying oxygen cylinders to people on exorbitant rates, said Lucknow Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Central, Somen Barma.

He said Katiyar was booked under Indian Penal Code sections 417 for cheating, 420 for fraudulent practice, 188 for violation of state government orders. Besides, the sections of Drugs and Medical Equipment Act, Epidemic Act and Disaster Management act was slapped against him, he added.

Barma said Katiyar had license of oxygen supply agency till 2019 but he continued this business without getting its license renewed from the authorities concerned. He said the accused had hoarded the oxygen cylinders illegally to make profits during pandemic times and involved into its black marketing at very large scale.

He said the police are further questioning Katiyar to extract information about his other accomplices involved in this black-marketing nexus. He said the accused had revealed some crucial information following which some more arrests are likely in this connection.