Six held for snatching money from people returning from ATM
THE SUSPECTS USED TO STATION THEMSELVES OUTSIDE THE ATM. ONCE A PERSON TOOK OUT MONEY, THEY ALLEGEDLY SNATCHED THE CASH AT DESERTED LOCATIONS
NOIDA: Five suspects were arrested on Saturday night for allegedly snatching money from people after the victims withdrew money from a local ATM in Mamoora village in Noida Phase 3. A 16-year-old boy was also apprehended in connection with the case, police said on Sunday.
According to police, the suspects used to allegedly station themselves outside the ATM kiosk and spot vulnerable people visiting the kiosk. Once a person withdrew money, they used to follow them and snatch the cash at deserted locations. Police have also recovered three mobile phones and three knives from their possession.
Jitendra Deekhit, station house officer, Phase 3 police station, said that a police team received information that the gang members were gathering near an ATM kiosk in Mamoora. The police team reached the spot and sent a decoy near the suspects to hear their conversation.
“They were saying that as soon as a person withdraws money from the ATM, they would send the juvenile to strike a conversation with the victim. Then the other gang members would surround the victim and snatch the money,” said sub-inspector Ikram Khan in the police complaint.
The police team then conducted a raid and arrested three suspects -- Mohit Kumar, Aman Khan, and Shahrukh Khan -- all residents of Khoda colony in Ghaziabad, from a parked Wagon-r. The other three suspects -- Ankit Gupta, Vikas Sharma and the juvenile -- all residents of Mamoora village, were apprehended from an auto-rickshaw that was also parked at the same spot. The police have seized the two vehicles.
Police said that the gang members may have allegedly given way to at least 10 such incident in the past six months in Noida. The police are further investigating their crime records. Phase 3 police have registered a case against them under Section 399 (making preparation to commit dacoity) and Section 420 (cheating) of the IPC. “The five suspects were produced in court and sent to judicial custody, while the minor was sent to the juvenile home,” Deekhit said.