Trio allegedly stole from men they met online

Three men who allegedly organised to meet up with and steal from men they met on social media were caught by police while with one of their alleged victims.

Three men will face court after being caught by police with a man in their car who alleged he had been forced into the car in southwest Sydney overnight. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Three men will face court after being charged with the alleged robbery of three men who they arranged to meet in southwest Sydney overnight after connecting with them on social media.

Police will allege the three men – aged 19, 20 and 21 – used social media to organise to meet with their alleged victims, aged 53, 30 and 29.

It is not known what the alleged victims thought they were meeting for.

A 53-year-old man organised to meet a man at a Punchbowl residence around 5.40pm.

A short time later, two men arrived and allegedly threatened him with a knife, demanding his debit card.

The two men allegedly stole his card and escaped the scene in a Honda Accord driven by a third man.

It is alleged the men used the card to withdraw cash at a nearby service station.

Three hours after the first alleged incident, a 30-year-old man was allegedly forced into a Honda Accord at a Lakemba car park. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Three hours later, at around 8.30am, a 30-year-old man arrived at a Lakemba car park on the corner of the Boulevard and Quigg St to meet a man he had met online.

The Honda Accord allegedly arrived at the carpark and the 30-year-old was asked to get inside the vehicle.

The three men allegedly threatened him with a knife and drove out of the carpark.

Police will allege he was forced to transfer money into a bank account before he was returned to the carpark.

One of the alleged offenders then searched the 30-year-old man’s car before the trio drove off.

The incidents were reported to police and the 30-year-old man’s car was seized for forensic examination.

Police arrested three men after pulling over a Honda Accord with a third man inside who alleged he had been forced into the car and withdraw cash at multiple ATMs. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

Around 10.50pm the same night, police pulled over the Honda on York St in Belmore and spoke with four men inside the vehicle.

A 29-year-old man alleged he had arranged online to meet a man at a Belmore carpark about 9.20pm.

Three men got into his car, threatened him with a knife and demanded his mobile phone, he alleged.

The man was then directed to leave his vehicle and get inside the nearby Honda before he was driven to ATMs at Belmore and Canterbury and allegedly forced to withdraw cash.

Police searched the Honda and seized cash, knives and mobile phones.

The three men were arrested and taken to Campsie Police Station, where they were each charged with three counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of taking or detaining a person with intent to obtain advantage and participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity.

All three were refused bail and will appear at Blacktown Local Court on Wednesday.

The alleged victims were not injured in the three separate incidents.