Three held for robbing people on highway after offering lifts

Three men were arrested for allegedly robbing people of their belongings on highway after offering them lifts, police said on Friday.

The accused have been identified as Amir Sohail (24), Dinesh (29), residents of Bijnor district in UP and Riyaz Alam (35), a resident of Mumbai, they said.

"On Thursday, police got a tip-off regarding the accused persons, following which a trap was laid in Sagarpur area and they were nabbed," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Devender Arya said.

The accused, during interrogation, revealed that they used to hire auto-rickshaw or SUV for robberies. While committing highway robberies, they used to hire SUV and target passengers waiting for public transport at Dhaula Kuan bus stop and railway stations, the DCP said.

One of their accomplices also used to board the SUV from the pickup area so the accompanying passenger does not doubt their intentions. They would rob the passengers of their belongings at secluded place or on highway, Arya said.

The accused were involved in six cases of snatching and robberies in Mumbai. They recently shifted to the national capital from Mumbai as a video of an incident there involving them started going viral, police said.

Two country-made pistols, four live cartridges, two bikes, one SUV and four bags were recovered from their possession, they added.