24-Year-Old Woman Forced Into Sexual Relations Under Pretext of Job Offer and Extorted Money

The Investigative Committee of Armenia is conducting an investigation into circumstances of large-scale fraud and extortion in the Yerevan city districts of Erebuni and Nubarashen. One individual has been arrested.

On February 27, 2019, a resident of Yerevan, born in 1994, reported to the Erebuni division of the Armenian police that between February 4 and February 22, a person presenting himself as the director of a company had taken and embezzled a total of 780,000 AMD from her, under the pretext of employing her in his company and claiming that she must prove herself. On February 26, he demanded an additional 600,000 AMD, threatening to send photos of their sexual relations to her relatives.

That same day, a criminal case was initiated at the Erebuni division of the Armenian police under the provisions of Article 178, Part 2, Clause 2 and Article 182, Part 2, Clause 3.1 of the Criminal Code of Armenia. On February 27, the case was transferred to the Yerevan Investigative Committee for further investigation, necessitating urgent investigative actions, leading to the formation of a special investigative group. The 24-year-old woman has been recognized as a victim and has given testimony regarding the incident.

Preliminary information indicates that the young woman met the 30-year-old man, who claimed to be the director of the company, in connection to a job vacancy announcement she found online. He purported to be a German-Armenian looking for a trustworthy person in Armenia to manage his many businesses.

Understanding that the young woman desperately needed a job and that her mother was ill, he promised to help but simultaneously insisted that she must engage in sexual relations with him, assuring her of a high salary.

According to the evidence obtained during the investigation, the 30-year-old man had sexual relations with the woman under the guise of a trial. Additionally, he convinced her to take out loans from a bank and a credit organization, which she subsequently handed over to him, totaling 680,000 AMD.

It was also revealed that he had taken money from her on different occasions with a promise of reimbursement, but when she refused to engage in sexual relations with him again, he threatened that he would not return the money.

On February 25, during their next meeting, he demanded an additional 400,000 AMD from her. When she refused, he increased the amount to 600,000 and threatened that if she did not comply, he would send photos of their sexual relations to her brother.

As part of an operational-investigative measure, the 600,000 AMD, which consisted of banknotes treated with a chemical substance, was prepared in advance. The young woman handed over the money on February 27 at around 16:10 in a pre-arranged location near a building on Tigran Mets Avenue in Yerevan.

Upon inspection of the crime scene, the remaining portion of the allegedly extorted money, totaling 580,000 AMD, was also discovered. During the conducted searches and personal inspections of the 30-year-old man, traces of a green luminescent substance were found on his hands and clothes. The man has been arrested on suspicion of large-scale fraud and extortion.

The investigation continues, and necessary investigative and procedural actions are being undertaken to ensure a thorough, complete, and comprehensive examination of the circumstances of the case.