Charges Filed Against Three Individuals for Kidnapping a Restaurant Employee in Kotayk Province

The investigation into the kidnapping of a restaurant employee and the infliction of physical pain and mental suffering has been completed by the Kotayk Provincial Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Armenia. This was reported by the Investigative Committee.

Specifically, the investigation revealed that an assistant director of a restaurant complex in Kotayk had informed his cousin and a friend about the close relationship between the restaurant employee and the owner's wife, as well as the alleged theft of 5 million Armenian drams from the restaurant by the mentioned employee.

On October 2, 2019, around 18:30, the youths, using a vehicle owned by the restaurant's owner, violently kidnapped the employee to obtain clarifications and seek punishment regarding these issues. During the journey, the suspects repeatedly struck the employee's body with their hands and feet, forcing him to confess about his intimate connection with the owner's wife and the theft of 5 million AMD from the restaurant. In an effort to break the employee’s resistance, they threatened him with lethal violence using a hunting rifle of the "Saiga MK" type and an air gun, delivering strikes to various parts of his body, causing light bodily injuries.

After obtaining the “confession,” with the intent to humiliate him and deliberately cause severe mental suffering, the youths transported the employee in their vehicle to a pig farm in the village of Oshakan, Aragatsotn Province, rented by the assistant. There, under the threat of violence, specifically by firing a shotgun into a septic pit, the assistant forced the restaurant employee into the pit, compelling him to immerse himself in its contents.

Based on sufficient evidence gathered during the investigation, the assistant director of the restaurant has been charged under the 2nd part of item 1 of Article 131 and the 2nd part of item 3 of Article 119 of the RA Criminal Code, while his cousin and friend face charges under the 2nd part of item 1 of Article 131.

The investigation has concluded, and the criminal case has been forwarded to the supervising prosecutor with a motion to confirm the accusatory conclusion and send it to court.

Disclaimer: A suspect or accused individual is considered innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the law and through a legally binding court decision.