- Friday, October 04, 2024
The couple opened a therapy centre in Kanpur promising customers to undo years of ageing within months. They amassed ₹350 million and are absconding
By: Shajil Kumar
A “TIME MACHINE”, the promise of turning the clock back four decades and a couple that went into hiding after making around ₹350 million (£3.16m) by duping those desperate to be young.
It may sound like a plot of a Bollywood potboiler but is straight out of the Kanpur crime files.
Rajeev Kumar Dubey and his wife Rashmi Dubey opened a therapy centre, Revival World, in the Saket Nagar area in Kanpur where they claimed to provide Israel-made “hyperbaric oxygen therapy” inside the “time machine” that could undo years of ageing within months, according to police.
Rajeev and Rashmi also introduced a pyramid scheme, where customers could avail discounts for referrals, and lured new customers. They promised handsome concessions and high returns in a short period, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankita Sharma said on Friday.
They also distributed pamphlets and put up hoardings claiming that the polluted air of Kanpur was causing people to age rapidly and their age-reversing “time machine” could transform 65-year-olds into 25-year-olds, the DCP said.
The accused couple offered several packages ranging from ₹6,000 for 10 sessions to ₹90,000 for a three-year reward system, she added.
The fraud came to light after one of the victims, Renu Singh, lodged a police complaint alleging that she was duped of ₹700,000 by the couple.
In her complaint, Singh expressed apprehension that the accused might have fled abroad after being exposed.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered against the couple under Section 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), DCP Sharma said.
During the investigation, it came to light that the couple duped several others and amassed more than ₹350 million on the pretext of turning the elderly into 25-year-olds with their therapy, she said.
Till now the police have come across 25 cases and expect more victims to come forward.
The machine used by the accused at their therapy centre is being examined by experts, the officer said. (Agencies)
