Two Residents of Alaverdi Facing Charges for Armed Robbery

The Investigative Committee of Armenia's Lori Regional Investigative Department in Tumanyan has uncovered several details regarding two instances of armed robbery that took place in Alaverdi in August. Charges have been filed against two young men, as reported by the Public Relations Department of the Investigative Committee.

According to the investigation findings, in order to pay off monetary debts, a 21-year-old resident of Alaverdi, in coordination with his 22-year-old friend, agreed to rob a jewelry store located on Tumanyan Street. They procured tools for committing the crime, assigned roles, and on August 1, 2020, around 08:00, drove there in a “Priora” vehicle, hiding under the stairs near the shop to wait for the saleswoman's arrival.

Around 09:00, when the saleswoman opened the store and disabled the alarm system, the young men illegally entered the shop, attacked the saleswoman, tied her mouth and hands, and used a knife and gun to threaten her life, demanding the keys to the non-flammable safe. Failing to unlock all the locks on the safe, to make their threats seem credible and to break her resistance, the 22-year-old fired once on the shop floor. After another unsuccessful attempt to unlock the safe, unable to steal gold items worth approximately 10,000,000 AMD, they fled the scene.

Additionally, driven by an obsession to steal gold jewelry, they decided to rob another jewelry shop belonging to an acquaintance of the 22-year-old, located on Sanahin Sarahard Street in Alaverdi. On August 10, 2020, around 11:40, the aforementioned residents illegally entered the shop, where the 22-year-old attacked the shop owner, covering his mouth and eyes with his hands, and using life-threatening violence by tightly choking his neck, inducing difficulty in breathing. Meanwhile, the 21-year-old stole various types of gold jewelry worth approximately 21,808,900 AMD from the display cases, and together they fled.

With sufficient evidence gathered, charges have been filed against the 21 and 22-year-old under Article 175, Part 3, Clause 1 of the RA Criminal Code (robbery) for two episodes. They have been remanded in custody. The preliminary investigation is ongoing.

Notice: A suspect or accused in a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the established procedure by a legally enforced court verdict.