The investigation into an alleged rape of a young girl on the outskirts of Noyemberyan on September 1 is ongoing.

News of the incident spread like wildfire both locally and across Armenia because the son of Noyemberyan Mayor Vanoush Amirghanyan had somehow been implicated in the sordid affair.

Rumors also were bandied about in the northern Armenian town that the mayor had even been dismissed as a result. They have been proven to be false.

On September 2, local police launched a criminal case based on the testimony of the alleged 17 year-old rape victim.

Forensic testing was also initiated. Three local boys were brought in for questioning and to undergo testing, including the mayor’s son and the son of a top police official.

Gagik Nazaryan, the Noyemberyan Police Chief, has stated that there are no visible signs of a rape being committed but that forensics will provide more definite answers.

On September 7, Noyemberyan police informed me that in her written testimony the girl said the three didn’t rape her.

Rumors about the girl’s “moral” behavior are also spreading in the town.

It’s alleged that the girl’s teacher warned her parents about the short dresses she was wearing to school.

On September 1, the 17 year-old girl in question, a resident of the nearby village of Koghb, had gone to Noyemberyan.

She supposedly called up a boy she knew complaining that an adult male from Noyemberyan was making advances towards her. She wanted her friend’s help in the matter.

She then is said to have gotten in the car of the three boys implicated in the case. Later that night, they dropped her off at the entrance to her village but she never returned home.

Where she went during the subsequent hours or whom she met, only the investigative body knows with any certainty.

Investigative Chief Gagik Nasibyan has refused to answer reporters’ questions, arguing that confidentiality must be maintained.

He’s only stated that the investigation has been handed over to law enforcement of another region (Marz); probably that of Gegharkunik.

“Given that the son’s of Noyemberyan officials have been implicated in the case, we considered it appropriate to hand over investigative jurisdiction to another Marz”, said Nasibyan.

He also refused to speak about the results of the forensic tests so far.