Police have filed first information report (FIR) and set up teams to nab two unidentified culprits.

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The incident took place on May 2 around 10am when Greater Noida West resident Vanchha Garg was stuck in a snarl near Parthala Chowk.

“Two men suddenly appeared on two sides of my car. One of them said that I had hit a child and warned me not to drive further as the child was stuck under the rear wheel of the car. The other one, meanwhile, started banging on the car window, accusing me of hitting their child,” said Garg, who works in Sector 16, Noida.

The 35-year-old woman said she was initially disbelieving. “I was shocked because I didn’t see anyone, especially a child, near my car,” she said.

But when one of them offered to help her “remove” the child safely from under the car, Garg reluctantly rolled down her window.

“The man immediately took advantage of the opening and forced his hand inside. When I tried pulling up the window to deter him, he started accusing me of wounding him and I rolled down my window again. This time, he forced his hand inside and unlocked my car,” she said.

Garg soon realised the nature of the ruse as the second suspect, who was on the passenger side of the car, opened the door and quickly grabbed her iPhone lying on the seat.

“In a matter of minutes, the thieves absconded with my golden iPhone 14 pro,” said Garg, who then approached police and filed a complaint.

“I tried to search for CCTV footage from along the road. But the cameras were malfunctioning. Many cars passed by me, but no one stopped to help,” said Garg.

Police have registered an FIR at Sector 113 police station under Section 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code against two unidentified people.

“I tracked my phone to Meerut through the phone tracking app and relayed the information to police. But officers asked me to wait further as the phone has been switched off again,” said Garg.

Additional deputy commissioner of police (Noida) Manish Mishra said police teams have been deployed to nab the suspects and trace the phone.

“The ‘thak thak’ gang is on the police radar. Last month, we busted a similar gang and arrested two people used the same method to steal phones and other valuables from commuters,” the officer said.