Noida, July 1 (IANS) Noida Police on Wednesday busted a gang that used to loot commuters while giving them lifts in their car and then coercing them to transfer funds from their accounts, via UPI and digital payment platforms.

Four accused were apprehended by the police in connection with this and various items were recovered from their possession, including stolen iPhone 16, a smartwatch, a charger, an Aadhaar card, Rs 2,300 in cash, and the car used in the crime.

The arrests were made in Noida’s Sector-49, where these cunning criminals would offer to ferry the commuters to their destination and then rob them of their bank account by unlocking their phones and transfer money in their own account.

According to the police, a man lodged a complaint at the Sector-49 police station on June 29, saying that some individuals had picked him up in their car in the Sector-50 area.

The accused snatched his mobile phone, charger, power bank, and cash. They threatened him to unlock his mobile phone and transfer funds from his bank account to their own accounts via mobile banking. Based on the complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections at the Sector-49 police station, and an investigation was initiated.

Special police teams were formed to solve the case. Using manual intelligence and electronic surveillance, the police arrested all four accused near Sector-50 on June 30.

The arrested individuals were identified as Amit, Nitin, Vivek, and Rishi. All the accused hail from various villages in Firozabad district, though one of them was currently residing in Noida’s Sector-141.

During questioning, the accused revealed that they were friends who previously worked as drivers and laborers in Delhi-NCR.

Driven by the greed to make quick money through illegal means, they began committing such crimes.

They would lure people by into their car under the pretext of offering a lift and subsequently rob them of their mobile phones, cash, and other belongings.

If a banking app was found on the mobile phone, they would intimidate the victim into unlocking the device and then transfer funds from the victim’s bank account to their own.

–IANS

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