35-Year-Old Man Freed on Bail Commits Thefts Again

The investigation department of the Yerevan city investigative division of the RA Investigative Committee has uncovered the circumstances of a series of kidnappings and thefts committed by a 35-year-old man.

According to data obtained during a comprehensive investigation, the resident of Yerevan, born in 1984, while imprisoned in the RA Ministry of Justice "Nubarashen" Penitentiary in May 2018, familiarized himself with a 30-year-old resident of Yerevan through the social media platform "Facebook." The 35-year-old man earned her trust by claiming he could help her recover money from her debtor, and with her assistance, paid the bail money to be released from custody.

Subsequently, in August 2018, with the intention of committing a significant theft, he obtained large sums of money from the 30-year-old woman under the pretext of importing a vehicle from the Republic of Georgia, without ever actually importing a vehicle.

Additionally, in September of the same year, under the pretext of duplicating and returning the woman's earrings, he took the earrings and fraudulently stole them.

The investigation also revealed that the 35-year-old man, in collusion with a friend, met the woman's debtor, a resident of Yerevan born in 1984, in a vicinity near buildings on Leningrad Street. Under the pretext of discussing the debt repayment deadline, they forced him into a "VAZ 21014" vehicle driven by his friend. During transit, the 35-year-old man and his accomplice struck the debtor on various parts of his body, insulted him, and deprived him of the ability to move freely, transporting him to a newly built road adjacent to Davtashen village, where they threatened him with murder to demand part of the borrowed money, which he directed via his contacts to a bank account specified by the 35-year-old man. Later, after withdrawing the money from an ATM in Yerevan, he was allowed to leave.

Furthermore, receiving the consent of the 30-year-old woman, he took large sums of money from her debtors, including the aforementioned 35-year-old man and another resident of Yerevan, and misappropriated those funds.

From May to July 2019, the 35-year-old man, intending to commit substantial property theft, exploited the negligence of taxi drivers and stole their mobile phones from their cars, causing significant financial damage.

Based on the collected sufficient evidence, the 35-year-old man was charged under Paragraph 2 of Part 2 of Article 178, Part 1 of Article 178, Part 2 of Article 131, Articles 2, 3, and 7 of Part 2 of Article 131, Part 2 of Article 179, Part 1 of Article 179, and Part 1 of Article 177 of the RA Criminal Code concerning four episodes. He has been remanded in custody as a measure of restraint. His accomplice has been charged under Articles 1, 2, 3, and 7 of Article 131 of the RA Criminal Code, and measures ensuring non-removal have been applied to him. The pre-trial investigation has been completed, and the criminal case has been sent to the prosecutor supervising the legality of the pre-trial investigation with an accusatory conclusion.