Shahjahanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Jul 28 (IANS): A student doing his MBA, another doing his basic training certificate (BTC) course, a rice mill staffer and a gym owner, all in their twenties, had only one thing in common. All of them wanted to impress their girlfriends with expensive gifts and a high-class lifestyle.

All four formed a gang and went on a robbery spree till the police arrested them on Monday.

Incidentally, all four belong to well-to-do families.

The four have been identified as Hari Om, a.k.a. King; Mintu Kumar, Shyam Singh and Tanuj Pandit. All of them have been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and sent to jail.

After their arrest from Khuthar area of Shahjahanpur district, the police seized 17 mobile phones, jewellery and cash from them.

The accused told the police that they used to commit robberies near district borders and would cross the border in no time on their modified bikes to dodge the police.

The police have also impounded two motorcycles -- one of the bikes was stolen from Bareilly a few months ago.

Khuthar station house office (SHO) Jai Shankar Singh said that acting on a tip-off, he had deployed a police team that arrested two of the team after a brief encounter.

During interrogation, the accused gave information about their hideout in Khuthar, following which police arrested two other gang members and seized 17 mobile phones and Rs 20,000 cash from them.

Explaining their modus operandi, the SHO said, "King, who is pursuing BTC course from Meerut, is the leader of the gang. They would commit robberies on two modified bikes -- one of which we have impounded -- near district borders and flee at very high speed."

The accused admitted to have committed nearly 50 robberies in Bareilly, Lakhimpur Kheri, Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur districts.

"They would spend the money on their girlfriends and go on holidays with them. The accused have been active for nearly a year, but their families are clueless about their activity. We will seek their custody to recover more stolen articles," added the SHO.