Three Young Men Arrested for Using Counterfeit Banknotes

Counterfeit banknotes have been used for purchases in the market of Areni village, Vayots Dzor province. This information was reported by the press service of the Armenian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“On April 14, at 22:45, the police received a call from a resident of Areni village, stating that an unknown person had bought three jars of jam from his market stall and paid with a counterfeit banknote of two thousand drams. A police operational group from the Yeghgnadzor department rushed to the scene. It became clear that another similar incident had occurred at the market: a woman reported that two passengers in a ‘Mercedes’ vehicle had bought a liter of wine for 1500 drams, paying with a five thousand dram banknote, took the change, and left. The five thousand dram note was also counterfeit.

As a result of operational-investigative measures, credible information was received indicating that three young men, aged 26, 25, and 24, residents of Ayntap village in Ararat province, had entered the market to sell counterfeit banknotes, two of whom are brothers. Yeghgnadzor department's criminal investigators collaborated with police officers from Ararat province. Fifteen minutes past midnight, on the Yerevan-Meghri road near the Vosketa bridge, the youths were arrested based on reasonable suspicion of having committed a crime and were taken to the Yeghgnadzor department. The ‘Mercedes’ vehicle was moved to a designated area for storage,” the statement said.

It is noted that the young men from Ayntap and the counterfeit documents have been presented to the Vayots Dzor regional investigative department. The circumstances are under investigation.