Noida couple stage robbery in flat to get friend’s cryptocurrency details

Officials said they first received a call regarding the robbery on the night intervening March 20 and 21. The caller told the Sector 113 police that a robbery had taken place at a flat in Arania society in Sector 119

The Noida police on Thursday arrested three persons, including a husband and wife, for staging a robbery at their own home while a friend was visiting, allegedly to gets details of the friend’s cryptocurrency investment portfolio worth crores of rupees.

Tw of the three people arrested for the staged robbery, in Noida on Thursday. (Sunil Ghosh /HT PHOTO)

Use of cryptocurrency is banned in India but some unregulated apps and websites provide links to trade in the virtual asset in the country

Officials said they first received a call regarding the robbery on the night intervening March 20 and 21. The caller told the Sector 113 police that a robbery had taken place at a flat in Arania society in Sector 119. Police immediately reached the spot and were told that three people -- flat owner Ajit alias Rahul Singh, his wife Mahi, and their businessman friend Virendra Malik -- who were in the flat at the time of the robbery were allegedly beaten up.

“The three people (the couple and the businessman) came to the police station in an inebriated condition. They requested that their medical test be conducted first and then they would file a complaint. The medical test was done and all three had only minor injuries. The next day, they filed a robbery complaint,” additional deputy commissioner of police (Noida) Shakti Avasthy said.

“This couple was going through financial problems. They had heard Malik boast about having crores of investment in cryptocurrency. So, they planned to call him over to their place and stage a robbery to get his investment details. They wanted to use the money to start a business of their own. They roped in four more people to stage the robbery and, one of them, identified as Ankur Payal, has been arrested,” said the ADCP.

He added that Payal, along with three others, entered the society discreetly and staged the robbery. Once inside the flat, they allegedly threatened Malik to divulge the details of his cryptocurrency portfolio as well as his mobile password. When he refused, they assaulted him and left with ₹5,800, a wristwatch, a neck chain, a gold ring and three mobile phones from Malik. They also allegedly administered some toxic substance to make him fall unconscious for an entire day.

Officials said the couple had decided to meet Payal later and had given him their car. The lid blew off the whole plot after the police arrested Payal from FNG road around 12.10pm Thursday while he was waiting in the couple’s Honda City. Once arrested, he confessed the whole plot to the police, and also told police that Singh and his wife had planned the entire robbery.

Three more people, who were part of the robbery, have been identified as Deepak, Mathu and Anjum, all hailing from Meerut, and efforts are underway to nab them, the officer said.

The FIR has been lodged at the Sector 113 police station under Indian Penal Code sections 328 (causing hurt by means of poison), 394 (causing hurt during robbery), 506 (criminal intimidation), 34 (act done by several people with common intention), and 342 (wrongful confinement), the police said.