Navneet Kalra, accused for black marketing of oxygen concentrators allowed to travel abroad subject to Conditions: Delhi High Court

• Permission to travel abroad granted: Navneet Kalra, accused in black marketing of oxygen concentrators during the second wave of the COVID-19 was allowed by the Delhi High Court on Friday to travel abroad on two occasions to attend certain eyewear industry events subject to a security deposit of Rs 50 lakh. Directing the authorities to not take any action on basis of the lookout circular issued against him, the Delhi High Court Friday allowed businessman Navneet Kalra, who is facing a money laundering probe in connection with purchase of oxygen concentrators to travel to Dubai and Milan next week and in April respectively.
• Court directions not to dispose of property: Justice Yogesh Khanna, who was hearing the a petition by the businessman challenging the lookout circular (LoC) issued concerning the money laundering case against him, said that apart from furnishing the security amount, the petitioner will also file an undertaking/affidavit that during the pendency of his petition, he shall not dispose of any of his properties that have been seized by the agency both before court registry and ED. Justice Yogesh Khanna in the order said that Kalra is allowed to travel to Dubai for participating in MIDO Collection 2022 organised by Safilo Group from February 15 to February 23 and to Milan for Mido Optical Event from April 27 to May 5. However, the permission is subject to him furnishing a security of a sum of Rs 50 lakh with the registrar general of the court.
• Look out ciruclar: The petitioner sought suspension of the LOC issued in the money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to attend two eyewear exhibitions in Dubai and Milan in Italy. The High Court allowed Kalra to travel to Dubai to participate in the SAFILO event in Dubai from February 15 – 23, and to the MIDO event in Milan from April 27 to May 5. The judge asked the central government to inform the petitioner within three days if there are any other LOC in his name apart from the one in question here. Look out circular (LOC) is a circular letter used by authorities to check whether a traveling person is wanted by the police. It may be used at immigration checks at international borders (like International airports or sea ports).

• Time to file reply granted: The court also granted time to the ED and the central government to file their response to the petition and listed the case for further hearing on August 17.
• Cooperating with authorities: Mr. Singh also told the court Kalra has joined the investigation as and when directed by the IO till June 8, 2021 and thereafter he has never been called. In response, the ED told the court that he can be allowed to travel with certain conditions.

Look out circular (LOC) is a circular letter used by authorities to check whether a traveling person is wanted by the police. It may be used at immigration checks at international borders (like International airports or sea ports). In India, LOC has a given proforma, which have identification parameters of criminals and help police to catch absconding criminals and stopping them from crossing borders. Normally, an LOC can be issued when a person is absconding in a particular case registered against him, and there is fear he may leave the country. In certain cases, the police can also approach a court seeking restriction of a person’s movement outside the country, when that person is a suspect in a case and there is fear he may not joint the investigation at a later stage.

In May last year, ED had filed a money laundering case against Kalra and his associates following a Delhi Police FIR in relation to the alleged hoarding and black marketing of oxygen concentrators. During a raid amid the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, 524 oxygen concentrators were recovered from Khan Chacha, Town Hall, and Nege & Ju restaurants owned by Kalra in the national capital. The businessman was nabbed from Gurugram on May 16, 2021, and formally arrested the next day. The police said that the concentrators were imported from China and were being sold at an exorbitant price of Rs 50,000 to 70,000 a piece as against its cost of Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000. Kalra was granted bail by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Arun Kumar Garg in the Delhi police case on May 29 last year.