Details on the Abduction of an Indian National: 1 Armenian and 6 Indian Citizens Arrested

On August 23, 2024, at 00:30, officers of the Armenian Police stopped a Mitsubishi vehicle near 1 Acharyan Street, discovering a foreign man in the trunk. The police transferred six Indian citizens, one of whom was driving the aforementioned Mitsubishi, to the police department on suspicion of abduction, illegal possession, and carrying of weapons and ammunition. They were called to that location by a 36-year-old man from Vayots Dzor, who arrived in a Mercedes vehicle.

During a personal search, a folded knife with a 9 cm blade and a gas pistol marked 'EKOL P 29' loaded with gas cartridges were found on one of the Indian nationals. Following this incident, the Investigative Committee initiated a criminal case on August 23, 2024, under Article 191, Part 2, Clause 5 and Article 334, Part 1 of the Armenian Criminal Code. The seven individuals were arrested based on reasonable suspicion of having committed a crime. The individual found in the trunk has been identified as the victim.

Considering the specifics of the case, the investigation was assigned to a special investigative group. As a result of extensive and urgent investigative and procedural actions conducted by the investigative department, it was clarified that on August 22, 2024, in his office on Acharyan Street in Yerevan, the 36-year-old Armenian citizen had demanded compensation from the 32-year-old Indian victim for damages caused by an accident involving a Nissan Tiida vehicle that the victim had handed over for exploitation. However, the victim refused his demands, explaining that he lacked the funds.

Subsequently, the 36-year-old Armenian had called one of the arrested Indian citizens to his office via phone. Shortly afterward, around 20:00, this individual arrived with five compatriots in a Mitsubishi vehicle. The Armenian citizen discussed with them methods for obtaining the owed money from the victim. During this discussion, the victim's girlfriend also arrived at the scene.

During the conversation, the Armenian citizen, with the intent of causing physical harm and instilling fear, fired a shot into the air, demanding from the victim a sum of up to 1,500,000 AMD. They also threatened that, otherwise, he would be taken to another location where he would be harmed, recorded, and the footage would be shared online. Hearing the victim's and his girlfriend's response that they did not have any money, the Armenian citizen demanded to abduct the victim. Subsequently, the six Indian nationals, in collaboration and with understanding of each other's actions, forcibly placed the victim into the trunk of the Mitsubishi vehicle against his will, after which the group members entered the same car and drove away with him, thereby unlawfully transporting the victim to another location.

After covering a certain distance, the Mitsubishi was stopped by officers of the Armenian Police's patrol service, and the 32-year-old Indian national was found in the trunk. Based on the obtained information, the arrested Armenian citizen has been charged under Article 191, Part 2, Clauses 5 and 8 of the Armenian Criminal Code (organizing the abduction of another person by a group of individuals for profit), while the six Indian nationals were charged under Article 191, Part 2, Clauses 5 and 8 for the abduction itself. Requests have been submitted to the court to apply detention as a measure of restraint for all seven defendants, which have been fully satisfied. The investigation is ongoing.

Notice: A person accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in accordance with the law by a legally binding court verdict under the Armenian Criminal Procedure Code.