Video: Father of Missing Soldier Claims Son is in a Baku Prison; NSS Reveals New Findings

As a result of operational intelligence activities carried out by the National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia, it has been revealed that A. H., having learned that conscript soldier S. K. went missing during the war unleashed by the Republic of Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh on September 27, 2020, attempted to defraud S. K.'s father, H. K., under the pretext of receiving a bribe.

On February 3, 2021, A. H. misled H. K. by introducing himself as someone with connections to officials of special services, claiming that he had verified through them that his son was in one of the penitentiaries in the city of Baku. To facilitate the transfer of S. K. first to a second country and then to Armenia, A. H. informed H. K. that a bribe of $3,000 was necessary to be paid to foreign special service employees.

Simultaneously, under the pretext of organizing the first phase of S. K.’s transportation, that is, transferring him from Baku to a second country, A. H. demanded $1,000 equivalent to 521,130 AMD from H. K.

Executing his criminal intent, A. H. fraudulently stole the indicated $1,000 from H. K. around 3:00 PM on February 5, 2021, in the courtyard of Yerevan's Heratsi Hospital Complex. He was apprehended immediately afterward by NSS employees, unable to complete the crime due to unforeseen circumstances.

A criminal case has been initiated in the NSS Investigative Department under Articles 34-178 (2) (2) and (5) of the Armenian Criminal Code against A. H., who has been arrested. A petition for his detention has been submitted to the court, and A. H. has been taken into custody by court order.

Necessary investigative and other procedural actions are being taken using legally permissible tools to clarify all circumstances of the case and identify all victims involved.

The NSS urges all citizens who have been victims of similar actions by A. H. to inform law enforcement agencies. At the same time, the NSS advises the public not to engage in transactions with individuals with criminal inclinations and to rely only on official information sources.