Preliminary investigation of the criminal case initiated on murder of taxi driver H. Azatyan, born in 1948, was completed in the Department of Investigation of Particularly Important Cases of General Military Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee; charge was pressed against a contractor.

On May 8 a call was received informing that a man’s semi-decomposed body was found on the right bank of the water pipe separating the villages of Noramarg and Ranchpar.

The investigatory-operative group immediately left for the site. In the result of taken measures the man was identified, sufficient evidence were obtained on the allegation that the latter’s death had been caused by violence used against him, the person having committed the alleged crime was identified.

Thus, through preliminary investigation actual data were obtained on the allegation that the contractor of the unit N of the RA Ministry of Defense, having credit commitments, had borrowed money from different people but he had been refused. On the day of the case – on April 21, 2017 at about 18:00 he got into the taxi of “Opel Astra” make driven by the resident of Masis town parked in the central square of the same town and ordered to drive to the cemetery of Noramarg village of Ararat region. Getting to the water pipe separating the villages of Noramarg and Ranchpar he offered to stop the car under the pretext of satisfying natural requirements after which they got out of the car together where the contractor attacked the driver and stabbed the latter five times with a cutting-piercing item on different parts of his body. Then he picked up a metal tooth wheel from the ground and hit him on the head. The latter died at the site of the bodily injuries he had sustained. Then the contractor stole the money and mobile phone which were in the driver’s pocket and dragging the body threw it into the water pipe after which he left for the village of Noramarg of Ararat region in the car of “Opel Astra” make.  

On the base of the obtained evidence charge was pressed against the contractor according to the Point 8 of the Part 2 of the Article 104 and the Part 1 of the Article 183 of RA Criminal Code. Detention was chosen as a pretrial measure against him.  

The criminal case with the bill of indictment was sent to prosecutor supervising the legality of preliminary investigation.

Note; Everyone charged with alleged crime offence shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.