MUMBAI: Next time when a young girl asks for a lift and that, too, in a desolate stretch, think twice—maybe, she is actually out to lure you and then rob you of your valuables.

The crime branch recently arrested a 23-year-old girl—reportedly the key member of the gang—and her two accomplices who robbed 11 people this way. While the accused has been identified as Renu Jatashankar Shukla alias Priya (23), her associates are Md Anis Shaikh (21) and Altaf Hussain Shaikh (21).

The plan used to be Renu would ask for lift from motorists, mainly those driving highend cars or riding motorcycles. "Soon, she would get into a conversation with the victim and offer him 'sexual pleasures'. They would check into a lodge or a hotel and as the man would go to the bathroom, she would vanish with his valuables," said JCP (crime) Rakesh Maria.

The three were arrested during a raid by crime branch Unit 5, led by inspector D K Rupwate, who got a tip-off that they were staying at Bell Bazaar in Kurla. During interrogations, the arrested confessed to the crime and revealed that their latest victim was a businessman at Aarey Colony in Goregaon.

Altaf used to deal in scrap in Nasik when he met Anis who used to steal scrap. "In Nasik, the two have 10 cases of chain-snatching and robbery against them. They met Renu at a beer bar last year, when they had come to the city," said Maria.