Noida Police have arrested five members of an alleged gang accused of operating a fake friendship club and luring people into robbery through social media. The accused include three women and two men, while another alleged gang member has been detained. Police said the group contacted victims through a fake online friendship club, persuaded them to meet, and then allegedly assaulted and robbed them. A Toyota Fortuner, a Swift car, a scooter, and an illegal knife were recovered during the operation.
Victims allegedly lured through fake friendship club
According to police, one member of the gang contacted potential victims through the fake friendship club. After establishing contact, women allegedly invited the victims to meet at isolated locations, where other gang members were already waiting. Police said the victims were assaulted and robbed of mobile phones, cash and other valuables before the accused fled.
Additional DCP Manish Singh said the gang operated an online fake friendship club and followed a coordinated pattern in targeting victims.
UPI transactions carried out after unlocking stolen phones
Police said the case came to light after a victim was allegedly beaten near a petrol pump in Sector 54 on June 30. His mobile phone was snatched, and the accused allegedly forced it to be unlocked before transferring about ₹18,000 through UPI to different accounts. The victim was then dropped near a park, while the accused fled in a Fortuner.
During the investigation, police recovered the Fortuner allegedly used in the crime, along with the Swift car, scooter and an illegal knife. Authorities said efforts are continuing to trace the remaining accused.
Five arrested, more cases under investigation
Police identified the arrested accused as Omveer Yadav, Mangesh Yadav of Firozabad, Nidhi Yadav of Auraiya, Priyanka Yadav of Firozabad and Riya Yadav of Mainpuri. Another alleged gang member, Pankaj Yadav, has been detained.
According to police, the gang had allegedly been committing similar robberies in Delhi-NCR. Investigators are examining whether the accused were involved in other cases. A social media post circulating after the arrests also identified the three women and alleged that the group targeted young men through social media before robbing and assaulting them.
