Investigation Underway for 61-Year-Old Man's Shrapnel Injuries

On March 8, 2021, at 1:47 PM, police received a call from the "Yeghegnadzor Medical Center" regarding a resident from the village of Malishka in the Vayots Dzor province, born in 1959, who had been transported to the hospital with multiple shrapnel injuries to the chest and limbs.

According to the Information and Public Relations Department of the RA Investigative Committee, the victim reported that he sustained these injuries on the same day at around 1:00 PM while lifting the trailer of his "VAZ-2107" car, after an explosive device under the trailer detonated.

“Based on the report, several circumstances of the incident have been clarified during the preparatory work. In particular, information was obtained that a person presumed to have committed a crime intentionally placed an unidentified type of grenade under the trailer's front lever in the period between March 5-8, 2021, aiming to take the life of the 61-year-old man, which exploded during the connection of the trailer to the rear of the "VAZ-2107",” the statement continued.

In connection with the incident, a criminal case has been initiated at the Vayots Dzor Regional Investigative Division of the RA Investigative Committee under Article 34-104 (attempted murder) and Article 235 (illegal acquisition, sale, possession, transportation, or carrying of weapons, ammunition, explosive materials, or explosive devices) of the RA Criminal Code.

During the pre-trial investigation, several investigative actions have been carried out, including interrogations, on-site examinations, and the seizure of clothing worn by the victim at the time of the incident. Samples have been taken, and forensic and explosive technical examinations have been appointed to clarify significant circumstances of the case. Instructions have been given to the investigative body to identify all relevant circumstances of the case.

Measures are being taken to verify the circumstances pointed out in the testimonies, to discover the source of the grenade that constitutes military ammunition, and to establish the identity of the person presumed to have committed the crime, to discover them and present them to the prosecuting authority. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing,” the statement concluded.