16 Groups Involved in Car Theft Revealed

In the Republic, the number of car theft incidents has decreased compared to the first nine months of 2024; however, this issue remains concerning. This was stated by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Arpine Sargsyan, during a joint meeting of the Standing Committees on Financial-Credit and Budgetary Affairs and Defense and Security regarding the preliminary discussion of the 2026 state budget.

“Objectively, we have a problem concerning actions taken against vehicles. Statistical data indicates that there have been 1,443 cases, which is a 5.4 percent decrease compared to the same period last year. In other words, we observe a drop in car theft incidents compared to the first nine months of last year. At the same time, we have uncovered 16 groups involved in serial thefts and four criminal groups engaged in extortion through organized patrol services at various times of the day,” Sargsyan noted.

She also emphasized that she does not consider these results satisfactory, as such crimes continue. Sargsyan stressed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has initiated legislative measures to tighten criminal liability regarding the theft of parts, devices, or equipment from vehicles. According to the new regulations, this is now classified as a medium severity crime, whereas previously it was considered a minor offense.