VIDEO. Parent of Missing Serviceman Extorted Money Under Pretext of Providing Information

The National Security Service of Armenia has revealed that A. M., having learned about the disappearance of D. V., a conscript soldier who went missing during the war unleashed by the Republic of Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh on September 27, 2020, seeking to defraud his father G. V. of a significant amount of money, claimed in January 2021 that he was involved in issues related to the discovery of missing servicemen.

During subsequent meetings with G. V., A. M. misled him, asserting that he could help locate D. V. using his personal connections. Then, on February 17, 2021, under the pretext of providing concrete information about D. V., he demanded $1,500 from G. V.

Continuing his criminal intent, A. M. fraudulently received $1,500 equivalent to 786,000 Armenian drams from G. V. on February 19, 2021, around noon on V. Sargsyan Street in Yerevan. However, he was apprehended by NSS employees before he could manage to use the stolen money, thus failing to complete the crime due to circumstances beyond his control.

In connection with the incident, a criminal case has been opened by the investigative department of the NSS under Article 34 and the second part of point 2 of Article 178 of the RA Criminal Code, leading to the arrest of A. M. based on direct substantiated suspicion of committing a crime. A request for pre-trial detention has been filed in court.

Necessary investigative and other procedural actions are being undertaken to clarify all circumstances of the case and identify the full range of victims. We urge fellow citizens, despite numerous warnings, not to engage in dubious transactions with individuals exhibiting criminal inclinations, which can result in becoming victims of fraud or end up in other vulnerable situations. It is once again emphasized that such transactions should be avoided, and trust should be placed only in official sources of information.

The National Security Service assures that the state continues to take effective measures to return our compatriots who are in captivity back to their homeland.

Notice: The suspect or the accused in the alleged crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the procedural law of the Republic of Armenia by a legally binding court judgment.