Scammer Steals Large Sums from Families of Fallen Soldiers, Promising to Free Prisoners from Baku's Jails: Special Operation by Shamshyan.com

On March 17, a special operation was conducted by the Gegharkunik Regional Department of Police, under the leadership of Chief Artur Mkrtchyan, along with the Martuni Division led by Stepan Hakobyan, and the criminal investigation department of the Shengavit division headed by Karen Buniatyan.

During the operation in Yerevan, a citizen was apprehended and taken into custody at the Martuni division of the police.

This individual is 41-year-old Martin Hakobjanyan, a resident of the Syunik region, who was wanted under the provisions of Article 178, Parts 2 (2) and (5) of the RA Criminal Code.

The criminal case against him was initiated by the investigative department of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia, and the court had ordered his arrest.

According to Shamshyan.com, police found M. Hakobjanyan in the area of the "Aparani" restaurant complex located in Nerk’in Charbakh of Shengavit administrative district.

It became clear that between February and April 2021, he had deceived the relatives of missing conscript soldiers who disappeared during the conflict initiated by the Republic of Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh on September 27, 2020. He reassured them that their soldiers were not dead but were in captivity, allegedly held in prisons in Baku.

The fraudster also convinced several family members of servicemen that their sons were in civilian hospitals in Baku, claiming that he could use his connections in Azerbaijan to transport the soldiers from captivity through Georgia or the Russian Federation, from where they could return to Armenia.

This scoundrel promised to facilitate this process in exchange for bribes, fraudulently collecting significant sums of money from the parents and relatives of the missing conscript soldiers via bank transfers.

According to G. Shamshyan’s report, he has taken over 1.5 million AMD, and police suspect that this vile individual may have defrauded other relatives of fallen soldiers as well.

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