Noida: Five men held for robbing commuters of cash after offering them lifts

An SUV fitted with a fake number plate, a countrymade pistol and three knives were recovered from their possession

Five men were arrested on Friday for allegedly robbing commuters across the National Capital Region (NCR) on the pretext of offering them lifts, police said.

The five men in the custody of Sector 39 police on Friday. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

According to police, the gang would offer lifts to commuters and, after taking them to isolated locations, rob them at gunpoint and force them to transfer money through UPI payments.

On January 11, the accused allegedly robbed a 21-year-old man of ₹8,000 in cash and his ATM cards after offering him a lift from Sector 62 in Noida to Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

“Following a tip-off on Friday, five suspects aged between 18 and 21 years, who were involved in robbing commuters by offering lifts, were arrested from the Sector 39 area,” Noida Police said in a statement.

An SUV fitted with a fake number plate, a countrymade pistol and three knives were recovered from their possession. Police said efforts are underway to identify other victims allegedly targeted by the gang.

Police also urged commuters not to board vehicles without verifying the identity of the driver or the vehicle details.

A case under Section 345(3) (false property mark) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant sections of the Arms Act was registered against the accused at the Sector 39 police station on Friday.