3 held for black marketing oxygen cylinders in Hyderabad

In a crackdown against the black-marketing and illegal transportation of oxygen, police have arrested three persons and seized cylinders from them.

Hyderabad:Three people were arrested in Hyderabad for allegedly black marketing oxygen cylinders, police said on Tuesday.

The accused have been identified as Syed Abdulla, Mohammed Mazar, and Syed Asif of Hyderabad.

On information that some people were illegally transporting oxygen cylinders, a Special Operations Team (SOT) started a vehicle check under Malkajgiri police station limits on Monday night. The team intercepted a van and found five oxygen cylinders (each containing 150 liters of oxygen).

The van driver and other occupants failed to produce any documents about transporting the oxygen cylinders and were taken into custody.

During the investigation it was revealed that one of the arrested was running an NGO under the cover of supplying free oxygen cylinders, medical services at home and ambulance to needy coronavirus patients, Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh M Bhagwat said.

He was procuring each oxygen cylinder for Rs 16,000 and then selling it for Rs 25,000 each to patients in need of urgent oxygen, police said.

He recruited the other two accused in this illegal business, police said, adding, they were illegally hoarding and transporting oxygen cylinders.

(With inputs from PTI)