The adventures of the police of Shirak Marz

25/12/2005 Armine AVETYAN

The chief police of the Shirak Marz has been having problems since fall. Let’s recall that head of the civil department of the Shirak Marz police department in Gyumri Shirak Shahnazayan was removed from office back in October. Currently, he is working as a miller in the flouring mill belonging to Martin Sukiasyan, who is a deputy in Gyumri.  

According to sources, the “problem” has now been appointed the chief of Marz administrative chief of the Shirak police department. Colonel Asatryan has worked towards that, better yet, according to the residents of Gyumri, he has helped some people with criminal acts and some complaints have been sent to the Gyumri police department. The department workers have probably decided to go and see what the problem is and find out what their Marz administrative chief looks like. While the police department will decide whether to kill or keep its worker, we will present some information that we have.

Mr. Asatryan’s daughter married a guy from Gyumri whose name is Sako and who is doing some dirty work behind Asatryan’s back. According to the residents of Gyumri, he and his group have taken out the public transportation routes and sold them. According to our sources, a criminal action has been brought up at the chief prosecutor’s office. The workers at the prosecutor’s office did not give us any information regarding this. The correspondent for the public relations department Gurgen Ambaryan said that the case is going through investigation.

“The case is currently being investigated,” said Mr. Ambaryan and added: “As soon as it is over, we will give new information. But if the case is at the chief prosecutor’s office, then that means that this is a serious case, especially since they have accused someone else first and then it turned out that he was not the thief.”

Sources claim that the same group has also robbed the tens of small, liberated houses belonging to the residents of Gyumri, moved them to the coast of the Sevan Lake, installed in the area pertaining to Kh. Asatryan and are used as hotel suites in the summer. Let’s recall that Kh. Asatryan is the owner of the villa in the untouchable area pertaining to the institute for “Delicate Organic Chemistry” (located on 26 Azatutyun st.). “168 hours” had gotten back to that, but Mr. Asatryan had refused to say anything about it, claiming that the villa did not belong to him but rather his godchild.

There is also news regarding the events that happened to the chief police of the Shirak Marz. On November 23, a fight started in Gyumri’s “Tbrnots” restaurant during which the former accused V. Hamlet shot H. Garik and injured his foot. It turns out that shooting at someone is the best way to “solve issues” in this city. Let’s not forget to mention that not too long ago, the mayor of Gyumri Vartan Ghukasyan had also used a gun. An action has also been brought up for the crime that took place at “Tbrnots” in the chief prosecutor’s office of the Shirak Marz, but the prosecutor refused to give out any further information.

“We can not answer to any of your questions,” answered prosecutor for the Shirak Marz David Sargsyan.

Any citizen of Gyumri knows very well that “Tbrnots” belongs to brothers Lyova and Arthur Ghazaryan who live in Gyumri and work at the police department. The residents of the building near the restaurant claim that these types of “small” events don’t happen often in that area, especially since the restaurant is secretly known as a whorehouse. The citizens of Gyumri say that the events that take place in “Tbrnots” usually remain unpunished because the Ghazaryan brothers always have something to do with it and the profit out of it is shared with chief police officer of the Marz Kh. Asatryan.

We tried to find out this information from Mr. Asatryan himself, but he neither denied that he and his son-in-law had taken part in robbing the routes nor did he affirm it. As a matter of fact, he got angry and said: “If you already know all that, then why are you asking me?” After this, he hung up the phone and did not wish to listen to the other questions. But he said to one of our other correspondents that his son-in-law had only bought the stolen routes and that’s all. There is someone else who is accused of robbery. Even the average resident of Gyumri knows that they simply force someone to “take the blame for the crime committed.” Generally, both Kh. Asatryan and his son-in-law are known as unpunished criminals in Gyumri.

“They have the power and the law is on their side,” said an old man from Gyumri who knows them. “They have backup; that is why they do whatever they want. Who can you complain to? In the end, it is going to come back to them, right? I know for a fact that they are the thieves, but how can I prove it?”

The workers at the police department probably doubt that Mr. Asatryan has anything to do with the abovementioned events and according to our sources, things are not looking too good for the proceedings against him. It is hard to say whether or not Asatryan will have the same luck as his ex-colleague Sh. Shahnazaryan. That would be rare because, according to sources, Kh. Asatryan, in his turn, has backup at the police department-for example, first vice chief police officer Ararat Mahtesyan.