Criminal group steals AMD 13.8mln from disabled servicemen

ArmInfo. A criminal group stole 13.8 million drams from disabled service members. This was reported in a statement by the Investigative Committee.

The agency noted that the theft of funds was recorded in nine cases.  During the preliminary investigation of the criminal case, clear  factual evidence was obtained indicating that the vice president of  the military- patriotic public organization "Next to the Soldier"

A.T. created the impression that the organization cooperated with  state and charitable organizations. In the press center premises at 4  Arshakunyats Street, Yerevan, he posted photographs of combat  veterans and the national flag of the Republic of Armenia. He also  prepared false documents aimed at building trust among the victims  and facilitating the implementation of his criminal plan.

The preliminary investigation also confirmed that T.Kh., a serviceman  in a military unit of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of  Armenia, communicated with servicemen wounded in combat, as well as  with disabled people in his circle and family members of fallen  servicemen, providing them with false information about the existence  of state and charitable programs and referring them to A.T., enabling  the latter to commit fraud. The accused knowingly provided victims  with false information about the possibility of receiving financial  assistance of up to several tens of millions of drams from the My  Step and Zinapa foundations, as well as from state and international  assistance programs, conditioned on the advance payment of a certain  amount as a "mediation fee," "process expediting fee," "approval  fee," or other such fees. To instill trust, the names of government  officials, as well as government agencies and charitable  organizations, were manipulated, and false information was provided  regarding their inclusion in the lists of aid recipients.

Thus, in the aforementioned manner, the accused, through deception  and abuse of trust, embezzled a total of 13,880,000 drams from the  family members of deceased military personnel and those wounded in  the war between December 2024 and February 2026. A criminal case has  been opened against A.T. and T.Kh.  for committing fraud on an  especially large scale. T.Kh. was arrested, and A.T. was placed under  house arrest.

The criminal case was transferred to the supervisory authority along  with the indictment.