Noida: Night after night, the four friends would drive through the streets in a borrowed car, scanning isolated stretches for someone standing alone, phone in hand, waiting for a cab or autorickshaw. Once they found a target, he would be forced into the car, assaulted and threatened, and stripped of his phone, cash and cards before the gang vanished into the night.The gang, among them a cab driver and three daily wage labourers, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly running a spree of robberies.According to additional DCP Manisha Singh, the accused have been identified as Amit (19), Nitin (20), Vivek (20) and Rishi (19), all residents of Nasirpur village in Firozabad district and childhood friends. Amit would drive a private taxi, and the other three were employed as daily wage labourers. Police recovered the car they used in the crimes, a stolen iPhone 16, a smartwatch, an Aadhaar card and cash from the group.Police started looking for the men after an employee of a shopping mall in Sector 49, waiting for a cab after his shift, was abducted by the gang and assaulted on the night of June 25. The accused stole his iPhone and drained his bank account using his own device. After the victim submitted a complaint, a police team from Sector 49 police analysed CCTV footage from the area and identified the suspects’ vehicle and its licence plate — the thread that ultimately unravelled the group before, cops claim, they could strike again.The car, police said, belonged to Amit’s maternal uncle. Most of the accused studied only up to Class 5 or 8. During questioning, the men admitted the robberies were driven by a search for quick cash to fund booze, drugs and cover daily expenses.Investigators are now verifying the group’s criminal history and examining possible links to similar robberies elsewhere in Noida and neighbouring districts. Police have urged residents to stay alert while travelling late at night and to call the emergency helpline, 112, if they notice suspicious activity.
