On March 28, 1985, a brutal armed robbery took place at the headquarters of the Middle East Diamond Company, located in the Bourj Hammoud district of Beirut, Lebanon. During the attack, five people were shot and killed, and jewelry valued at approximately 20 million Lebanese pounds was stolen.

The victims were the company’s owner, Hrant Kurkdjian, along with four employees: Hani Zammar, Maria Mikhayel, Khatoun Tekeyan, and Avedik Boyadjian.

Fifteen days after the crime, Lebanese authorities arrested two suspects, Raffi Nahabedian and Panos Nahabedian. A search of Raffi Nahabedian’s apartment led to the discovery of the stolen goods, including: 3,172 grams of 18-carat gold, 495 grams of diamonds, 3,244 USD in cash and gemstones valued at approximately 700,000 USD.

The suspects were interrogated by Mount Lebanon public prosecutor Maurice Khawam and confessed to the crime. They had prepared the stolen jewelry for transport, intending to flee Lebanon for Europe.

On April 17, 1985, a third suspect, Hratch Nahabedian, was arrested by Interpol at Larnaca Airport in Cyprus while attempting to escape. He was subsequently extradited to Lebanon.

The three suspects—Raffi, Panos, and Hratch Nahabedian—were brothers who had previously worked with Hrant Kurkdjian, producing custom jewelry in their own workshop.

Investigations revealed that the attack had been carefully planned and carried out with premeditated intent to kill. The perpetrators entered the shop through an electric gate and were recognized by the victims. To eliminate any witnesses, they deliberately killed everyone present.

Legal Proceedings and Escape

By the end of April 1985, the case was transferred to the Lebanese Military Court, as one of the perpetrators was a soldier in the Lebanese Army.

However, in 1988—before sentencing could be carried out—the three brothers escaped under unclear circumstances from Roumieh Prison, where they had been held since their arrest.

On December 10, 1994, the Lebanese court sentenced the three brothers in absentia to death. Under Law 84/91, the sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment with hard labor. Interpol subsequently issued international arrest warrants.

Discovery Decades Later

Decades later, on December 1, 2019, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo published an investigation uncovering the fate of the fugitives.

According to the report, the three brothers had been living in Vienna, Austria, under false identities, where they established successful jewelry businesses and acquired Austrian citizenship.

Their assumed identities included:

• Raffi Nahabedian, who died on December 12, 2012, and was buried in Vienna under the name Haroutyoun Dayan.
• Panos Nahabedian, who entered Austria using his sister-in-law’s identity (Asdghig Mazbaninan), later adopting the name George Mazbanian and founding a jewelry business in Führichgasse street, reportedly serving high-profile clients.
• Hratch Nahabedian, who lived under the name Hamayak Sermakanian after entering Austria using a relative’s passport.

Following their escape, their wives and children joined them in Vienna, where the families lived under new identities for decades without detection.

Reopening of the Case

The families of the victims uncovered the truth and alerted the authorities.