Police bust age-reversal scam in UP, seizes 'Oxygen Therapy Machine' used to dupe elderly

The "oxygen therapy machine," which the gym's owners, Rajeev and Rashmi Dubey, had claimed to be an age-reversal device, was seized by the police along with the case property on Oct 5 night.

Additionally, an eight-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to further probe into the matter.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) South Ankita Sharma, the couple who owns the gym has been evading authorities since a formal complaint was filed against them.

The phone records and financial records of the couple are currently being examined, police said. Since the FIR was lodged against the duo, over 20 victims came forward, according to the DCP.

As more allegations against the accused couple come in, more FIRs will be filed., he said. The couple will face legal action under the Gangster Act, and any assets they acquired illegally will be seized.​

According to the DCP, the couple's lawyer has contacted the investigator to share their point of view. The couple has applied for anticipatory bail in the High Court​

To carry out the scam, the accused, Rajiv Kumar, and his spouse, Rashmi Dubey, established "Revival Word" in Saket Nagar. According to a victim, Renu Singh Chandel, the couple convinced people that Israeli experts had successfully regenerated 35 elderly individuals — aged 64 and above — by giving them pure oxygen in a pressurized room for five days.​

They said that after three months, the procedure gave them the appearance of being 25 years old.

For almost a year, the couple deceived hundreds of people with their swindle, even using Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name to bolster their claims.​

Operating from an "Any Time Gym" franchise in Kanpur's Swaroop Nagar, the fraudsters claimed that Prime Minister Modi's youthful vitality and capacity for extended work hours were a result of a top-secret age-reversing technology imported from Israel.​

The duo sought between ₹50,000 and ₹2 lakh from people, promising miraculous cures using what they claimed to be state-of-the-art Israeli technology.​

They recruited more than 500 people into their fraudulent enterprise by using network marketing techniques.​

The victims were promised treatment that would make them young again via an "Israeli time machine," which was reportedly worth ₹25 crores.​

Later, it came out that the so-called time machine was nothing more than a rudimentary device constructed out of trash that only cost ₹2.5 lakh. Many of the victims had severe injuries as a result of the hoax.​

Some people experienced serious adverse effects, including burns to their faces and the appearance of white spots on their skin.​

The couple ran the gym franchise out of Prabhu Mahila Apartment's Flat No. 10, according to Chandel.​

The couple displayed images and videos supporting their claim that 35 elderly people received five days a week of pure oxygen treatment in a pressurized chamber as part of a successful study carried out by Israeli scientists.​

They claimed that after three months, the organs and skin of these persons had changed to resemble that of people in their mid-20s. The duo was able to win over their clients' trust by displaying these fictitious images.​

The couple allegedly presented two investment plans, one valued at ₹6,000 and the other at ₹90,000, claiming that the money would be used to pay ₹25 crore for the rejuvenation machine that would be purchased from Israel.​

They also offered gift baskets to anyone who supplied 50 new IDs, as well as large incentives for those who brought others into the program.​

Renu Singh said she put in ₹9 lakh for 150 IDs and an additional ₹3.5 lakh to grow the company. After a year, the couple only gave her back₹1.75 lakh, despite their previous promises of₹3.5 lakh and₹2.1 lakh.​

The duo told her that the plant would soon begin to run when she inquired about the sum still outstanding.

Eventually, it became apparent that the pair had collected roughly ₹35 crore from numerous individuals under fraudulent pretexts.