Epress.am News from Armenia
Three days after police busted an alleged gang suspected of committing a series of armed robberies in Yerevan, police on Monday revealed the details of the case. And so it is that on the evening of Sept. 22, the Criminal Investigations Department received news that the group is preparing for another robbery.
At around 6 am the next day, on Myasnikyan Ave. near the zoo, a Mercedes Benz (license plate number 60 OO 086) was asked to stop by police; however, the driver did not comply, and in trying to escape he slammed into an electric pole. The driver and a passenger fled the scene and opened fire at the police officers who pursued them. One of the men, Artur Manukyan, was found in the bushes on the hillside and subsequently detained. The second suspect went to a nearby hill — whether he jumped off the cliff or fell is not clear. However, he died on impact.
The firearm which was fired, however, was not found. Found in the bushes instead was a TOZ-349 factory-produced rifle.
In the vehicle which crashed, police found beneath the driver’s seat a homemade 9mm gun with one bullet in the cartridge.
In the pocket of four-times-convicted Gurgen Hayrapetyan, who fell to his death from the cliff, police found approximately 2g of a substance similar to opium.
At around 8:30 am on Sept. 23, police detained twice-convicted David Galstyan, thrice-convicted Samvel Davtyan and twice-convicted Aram Hayrapetyan, who were found to be in possession of narcotics during a police search. On 4:45 pm the same day, police detained Hovsep Hovnanyan and seized about 2g of yellow-green substance resembling marijuana from him.
Around 6 pm, police raided a house on Amaranotsayn St. in the Armenian capital, which served as the gang’s gathering place. They found a AK-74 with 30 bullets, a Makarov semi-automatic with 7 bullets, a TT pistol with 8 bullets, a BLOW C 06 gas pistol with 5 bullets and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, as well as masks, gloves and adhesive tape.
At 10 pm on Sept. 24, in a restaurant on Hrachya Ajaryan St. in Yerevan, police detained six-times-convicted Artush Hakobyan on suspicion of banditry. Found attached to his belt was a TT pistol with 8 bullets and with the factory numbers rubbed off, which was confiscated.
Also detained at the same scene was four-times-convicted Ruben Karaoghlanyan — found in his pants pocket and subsequently seized was approximately 6g of a yellow-green substance resembling hashish. Found in the Hummer belonging to Artush Hakobyan was an Aspirin-UPSA tablets box containing large amounts of the yellow-green substance assumed to be narcotics.
Police have since determined that months ago, Artush Hakobyan and Gurgen Hayrapetyan organized and led an armed gang, which included David Galstyan, Samvel Davtyan, previously convicted Artur Manukyan and Kyaram Amoyan.
At 1:10 pm on Sept. 25, police found and confiscated a starter pistol from Artush Hakobyan’s house on Saryan St. At 1:15 pm, police searched two houses in the village of Garni, where the ringleader of the gang could often be found. A large number of psychotropic drugs were found and confiscated.
At 2 pm, found in Ashot Martirosyan’s summer house in the village of Dzoraghbyur were an AK-74, a TOZ rifle, a dagger, a homemade knife, and 106g of the cannabis plant, while at his home on Hanrapetutyun St. in the capital, a Heckler & Koch firearm with 7 bullets and 300 bullets of various calibers.
Police state that Artush Hakobyan, Artur Manukyan, David Galstyan, Samvel Davtyan are detained, while Aram Hayrapetyan, Hovsep Hovnanyan, Ruben Karaoghlanyan, and Ashot Martirosyan are arrested.
As previously reported, Yerevan Police Chief Nerses Nazaryan declared that 16 people have been arrested in connection with this case.