A London gang lured Pokemon Go to a park and then robbed them at gunpoint.
Four Pokemon players were robbed of their mobile phones in a North London park on the same night by masked men armed with a handgun.
Three teenagers aged 15, 16 and 18 had their smartphones stolen by the armed gang as they hunted Pokemon in the Whittington Park in Holloway on Tuesday night.
The teenagers were reportedly threatened with a weapon by the three-man gang who demanded they had over their devices.
It came just 30 minutes after a similar incident saw a 24-year-old man robbed of his mobile phone at a Pokestop by the same group of men, believed to be in their teens.
The man reportedly had a silver handgun pressed against his stomach in the robbery which took place around 10pm in the park, according to The Guardian.
All four of the victims were unharmed in the robberies, police have said.
It is believed that the masked men lured them into a quiet area of the park using Pokemon Go power-ups which attract Pokemon to a specific location, before carrying out the robberies.
Scotland Yard believes the two incidents are linked, given the suspects’ descriptions, the methods used and the fact that it happened in the same park within 30 minutes of each other.
PC Kevin Yeung, of Islington Police, said: “These were really shocking attacks on young people walking around a much-loved park.”
“Robberies where a gun is shown or indicated are very rare and we are keen to apprehend those involved as soon as possible.”
The three suspects are described as ‘Asian’ and believed to be around 16 or 17 years old. One of the gang was referred to as ‘Kushi’ and was around 5ft 6in tall and wore a black bandana covering his face. All three of them were wearing dark clothing at the time.
Anyone with information is asked to call Islington CID on 020 8345 0262 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
