Noida: 3 held for stealing phones, using victims’ UPIs to siphon off funds
Police recovered nine mobile phones, two motorcycles, and an iPhone purchased using the complainant’s UPI ID from the suspects
Two people were arrested and a minor was detained on Sunday for stealing mobile phones from nine people in Noida and using their victims’ unified payment interface (UPI) identities to steal their money, police said. The suspects planned to sell the stolen mobile phones in Delhi after siphoning off money, they added.
The complaint in this case was registered by a Noida Sector 151 resident, identified as Ashish Sahu, 25, who works as an engineer in a private firm in Sector 126.
“On August 15 around 6 am, when I was walking home after finishing the night shift, two bikers came from behind and snatched my mobile phone worth ₹13,000. Later, the suspects used my mobile number to activate my UPI ID on another phone and siphoned off ₹80,000,” Sahu said in his complaint to police.
After a preliminary investigation, police registered a first information report against unidentified suspects at Sector 126 police station on Friday under Sections 304(2) (snatching), 317 (stolen property), and 318 (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act.
On August 16, another man was robbed in a similar manner. At 8.45pm, Akash Ragav, 25, was walking home from office in Sector 125 when two bikers approached him and snatched his mobile phone worth ₹22,000.
Following the two back-to-back robberies, police formed a team and checked 150 CCTV cameras in the area where the robberies occurred. “On Sunday when the suspects were going to Delhi to sell the stolen mobile phones, they were arrested near Pushta Road in Sector 126,” said Manish Kumar Mishra, additional deputy commissioner of police, Noida.
“During investigation, the suspects revealed that they used to target people who use the phone while walking on the road. They were using two bikes and a pillion rider was assigned to snatch the phone,” he added.
The suspects had snatched nine mobile phones in Noida, police said. “The suspects were identified as Sachin Kumar, 20, and Ankit Kumar, 22, both residents of Sector 39, and a minor, 16, who was taken into custody,” added ADCP Mishra.
Police recovered nine mobile phones, two motorcycles, and an iPhone purchased using Sahu’s UPI ID from the suspects.
Meanwhile, the Sector 58 police arrested five people and detained a minor for stealing smartphones and motorcyles, police said. At least 13 mobile phones and two motorbikes were recovered from their possession, police said.