Armenian authorities nab infamous crime lord in $250,000 extortion scandal

Armenian authorities have arrested the criminal kingpin Gevorg Melikyan, who is better known in the criminal underworld by his nickname Gevorik Oshakansky.

He stands accused of engaging in financial extortion from an Armenian citizen working in Russia, Caliber.Az reports citing Armenian media outlets.

According to the investigation, Melikyan demanded $250,000 from a citizen, identified only as G.M., after becoming aware that the individual had earned a large sum of money for a job completed in Russia.

The victim’s sister turned to another crime boss, identified as S.G., who agreed to settle the issue between the two for a fee.

A criminal case has been opened against Melikyan on several charges, including obtaining or maintaining a high status in the criminal hierarchy, as well as creating or leading a criminal organisation. The individual identified only as S.G. has also been arrested.

This is not the first criminal case involving the well-known criminal, Melikyan, who was held in custody on charges of participating in a criminal organisation between 2020 and 2022, after which he was released on bail.

By Nazrin Sadigova