In the serious crimes investigation department of the investigative department of the RA investigative committee of the city of Yerevan, the preliminary investigation in the separate part of the criminal proceedings initiated on the case of the kidnapping of a US citizen woman on 4 September has been completed.
The investigation revealed and substantiated that the crime was carefully planned and carried out by the members of a criminal organisation created for the purpose of committing a particularly serious crime, who aimed to organise the kidnapping of the above-mentioned woman with selfish motivations and in order to make a claim, for the implementation of which they performed roles and preparations began to implement in 2024 between June and September.
The investigation obtained data on the participation of five members of the criminal group, the actions of each of which were individualised and given adequate legal assessments.
Earlier, we informed that the crime was revealed as a result of the targeted measures taken by the relevant units of the Police and National Security Service, close co-operation of law enforcement agencies, as well as large-scale and systematic evidentiary operations carried out by the investigators.
Thus, the investigation proved that a criminal organisation engaged in criminal activity was created and managed by a person who has not yet been identified in the preliminary investigation, in order to commit a serious crime, and with the membership of the above-mentioned five of its members and persons who have not yet been identified in the case, the serious crime was committed as part of the group, that is by arbitrarily usurping the title and powers of an official and using the uniform, kidnapped a woman who is a US citizen.
In order to carry out the abduction without obstacles, being informed about the health problems of the latter's relative, one of the members of the group suggested to her husband in June 2024 to organise the treatment of the grandson in the Republic of Armenia.
In this regard, the mentioned person sent a message to the phone number of another member of the criminal organisation, assuring that the latter will organise the visit of his relative to the relevant doctor, but the woman, having a phone conversation and not trusting, refused the meeting.
Having failed to meet with the woman, the members of the criminal organisation, in order to commit the crime under the most favorable conditions, continued to collect information about her movement, plan the roles and functions of the participants of the criminal organisation.
According to that, one of the participants of the criminal organisation, according to the pre-determined role, went to the Republic of Georgia in June 2024 and acquired a car with a Georgian registration number "BMW 550I" as a means of crime, and in order to prevent the detection of the crime, the next day, on 29 June, through a citizen of Georgia, in order to carry out the abduction, transported to Armenia through the Bagratashen checkpoint, minutes before which he personally entered the Republic of Armenia as a pedestrian. In addition, under circumstances not yet clarified by the criminal proceedings, the participants of the criminal organisation acquired false license plates of two cars of the color and model of the mentioned car, registered and operated in the Republic of Armenia with the brand number "BMW".
Trying to hide their criminal activities as much as possible, another member of the group first went to the Republic of Georgia, obtained Georgian mobile phone numbers from there, registered in Telegram and Whatsapp applications, through which they contacted the victim's husband, and also sent messages under the name of another person to their relatives living in the Russian Federation. owned cryptocurrency wallet account in order to transfer the requested amount to the specified account after the hijacking.
During the preparatory work, the members of the group went to the Tavush region and examined the building belonging to one of the members of the organisation, where the kidnapped person was to be kept, and also made purchases for the kidnapped woman while she was being held and for the participant of the criminal organisation exercising control.
After completing the preparatory work, on the day of the incident, having previously been informed about the location of the victim, 2024. on 4 September, at around 12h00, they visited the swimming pool in Ashtarak street with a previously purchased "BMW" car, where they pretended to be employees of the National Service of the Republic of Armenia and ignored the will of the victim, who was driven by them. They took the mentioned car to Tavush marz, changing the car's number plates on the way, and later also the mentioned car, which was found in the middle of the road in Voskepar community of Tavush marz.
Keeping the woman in the building, handcuffed, they demanded USD 4,000,000 from her husband in exchange for releasing her unharmed.
The abducted woman was found and released the next day, on 8 September, as a result of joint coordinated measures taken by investigators, police officers and NSS employees.
On the basis of the obtained sufficient facts, 5 members of the criminal organisation were charged under Article 191, Part 3, Clause 1, Article 319, Part 1, and Article 458, Part 1 of the RA Criminal Code. Arrest was applied to them as a preventive measure.
Regarding the latter, the preliminary investigation has been completed and the materials of the proceedings, with the indictment, have been sent to the court.
Measures are being taken to identify and identify other persons included in the criminal group.
Notice: A person accused of a crime is considered innocent until his guilt is proven by a legally binding court verdict in accordance with the procedure established by the RA Criminal Procedure Code.
The investigation into the kidnapping and extortion case was supported by procedural Budapest Convention powers enabling expedited preservation (Article 16/17/29), production (Article 18), and seizure (Article 19) of digital evidence related to communications, messaging apps, and cryptocurrency wallets. International co-operation (Article 23) and mutual legal assistance (Article 25) provisions further facilitated cross-border evidence gathering and coordination between Armenia and Georgia. These tools ensured investigators could trace criminal communications, preserve data, and follow digital money trails, contributing to the quick resolution and prosecution of the case.
Read more:
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia: Newsroom (in Armenian)
Newsroom (Euromedia 24): Article (in English)
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