The arrests followed police receiving six reports of knifepoint robberies that occurred over a three hour period.
All the calls, with the first one coming in at 7.11pm from the Prestwich area, outlined a group of teenagers in an Audi approaching people, making threats with knives.
The group reportedly demanded valuables from people, mainly mobile phones. Fortunately, no-one was physically injured during the incidents.
Seventeen minutes after the last call was made to officers, a silver Audi A4 was found unattended on Juliet Street in Strangeways.
Two boys aged 15 and 17 and two men aged 19 and 20 were arrested nearby. They remain in custody for questioning.
Detective Inspector Ian Partington of GMP’s Bury Borough, said: “I know that these incidents caused a lot of alarm and worry for people and there was a lot of attention on social media overnight so I want to directly address the people of Bury.
“We can only make arrests and act on intelligence received with your help so thank you for making the calls and alerting us to this serious of violent robberies.
“While we question these people in custody, we will continue to work through those intelligence reports and still welcome any information people have for us.
“Any type of robbery is extremely shocking and should not be taken lightly, whether weapons are used or not. There is nothing that excuses those who think weapons are welcome on our streets and we’ll do everything we can to make that clear.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 8152 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
