Criminal Group of Yerevan Residents Uncovered in Syunik

A criminal group involved in stealing from various construction sites across the country has been uncovered in the Syunik region. This was reported by the Prosecutor's Office.

Specifically, four residents of Yerevan, having reached preliminary agreement to illegally enter a construction site to secretly steal someone else's property, arrived in Goris city in an "OPEL ASTRA" vehicle. There, on the evening of March 26, 2019, they illegally entered the "Ucom" LLC service center in Goris by prying open the door, secretly stealing a total of 18 mobile phones of various models worth 1,486,100 AMD and leaving the scene. However, they were apprehended in Vayk city by officers of the RA Police's Vayk division and taken into custody.

Following the incident, on March 27, 2019, a criminal case was initiated at the Goris division of the police under Article 177, Part 2, Points 1, 2, and 3 of the RA Criminal Code. The same day, the case was forwarded to the Goris investigative division, where it was accepted for proceedings and is currently under investigation.

As part of the investigation, the suspects provided self-incriminating testimonies that they had also committed thefts in the service centers of "Ucom" LLC in Vagharsapat, Masis, and Artashat in the same manner. Specifically, in mid-March 2019, they stole around 18 phones from the service center in Vagharsapat for the first time, selling them the next day for 280,000 AMD. After spending that money, they decided to steal from the service centers of the same company in Masis and Artashat, committing thefts on the same day in these locations and selling the stolen phones in Yerevan for 800,000 AMD to a citizen of Georgia. After spending that amount, they returned to Vagharsapat and stole phones from the same store in the same manner, selling them again to the same individual.

It has also been revealed that each time before committing a theft, the group found the same "OPEL ASTRA" vehicle of the same color, stole the license plates, placed them on their own vehicle, and discarded the plates, gloves, and masks after the robbery.

During questioning, it was revealed that the items obtained from the last theft, gloves, a metal rod used to open the door, and masks were found in the vehicle.

After apprehending the individuals, the "OPEL ASTRA" vehicle was moved to the special storage area of the Police Department of Goris.

On March 27, 2019, the Syunik regional court approved the request to search the vehicle.

Inquiries have been sent to the law enforcement agencies of Vagharsapat, Masis, and Artashat to clarify the details and progress of the crimes reported by the group members.

It is reminded that earlier, a consultation was held in the Syunik regional prosecutor's office attended by heads of various law enforcement agencies in the region, aimed at taking practical steps to enhance the effectiveness of complex measures against burglaries committed by illegally entering residences, warehouses, or buildings in the region. During this consultation, it was also emphasized to strengthen the mobile monitoring in areas more susceptible to these crimes along with operational and investigative activities to uncover individuals committing crimes while they are still hot on their trail.