Video: 'Thief in Law' Arrested for Exploiting Criminal Authority

A well-known figure in the criminal hierarchy, G.I., has been arrested. The information is provided by the press service of the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

The investigation revealed that G.I., having the highest status of 'criminal authority,' took on the task of resolving the return of a debt owed by a citizen. G.I. assured the aforementioned citizen that he would use his illegal influence to compel the debtor to return $12,900 in installments.

The Investigative Committee also uncovered another case of extortion involving G.I. 'While maintaining his high status in the criminal hierarchy, G.I. made several calls starting from October 25, 2022, to a 53-year-old man who reached out to resolve a dispute over a debt of 2,300,000 AMD,' the statement notes. During conversations regarding the multiple postponements of the debt repayment, G.I. repeatedly threatened the debtor, asserting that he would use his authority to inflict violence against him. As a result, the debtor repaid 400,000 AMD of the debt on November 12, 2022, and another 900,000 AMD on November 17, 2022. However, G.I. did not transfer the money to the actual creditor and instead retained it for his own illegal benefit.

The 53-year-old man has also been arrested. Based on the initiated public criminal prosecution, G.I. has been charged under Part 1 of Article 322 of the Criminal Code of Armenia for giving, receiving, or maintaining a high status in the criminal hierarchy. The 53-year-old man faces charges under Part 1 of Article 325 of the Criminal Code for appealing to a participant of a criminal culture-bearing group or a person holding a high status in the criminal hierarchy.

Preventive measures for G.I. have been chosen as detention, while a bail condition has been chosen for the other individual. Simultaneous searches were conducted at over 10 addresses in Yerevan and Armavir, resulting in the discovery of documents, items of interest to the investigation, and drugs. The pre-investigation continues.