Tbilisi police have arrested five minors on suspicion of group theft and robbery, Georgia’s Interior Ministry said on 15 August 2026. Officers from the Juvenile Affairs Main Division of the Tbilisi Police Department detained the suspects at different times. Two of those arrested had previous convictions and were serving a conditional sentence.
The ministry did not name the minors or give their ages. Under Georgian criminal procedure, juvenile cases are handled by specialised police units and the court, with identity details typically withheld from public reports.
Pharmacy and grocery chains
Investigators said the minors, acting together and by prior agreement, took goods of various values from pharmacy and grocery store networks in Tbilisi, then left the scene. The statement described the alleged offences as aimed at unlawful appropriation of property.
One of the accused is also alleged to have unlawfully taken a motorcycle belonging to a private citizen. Combined financial damage to the commercial premises was put at more than 30,000 GEL.
The ministry did not name the retail chains or say over what period the incidents took place, only that the arrests followed work at different times.
CCTV, court order and charges
Police said they seized footage from surveillance cameras in the shops, which they described as confirming the alleged offences. After operational measures and investigative steps, all five were detained as accused persons on the basis of a court ruling.
The investigation is being conducted under Articles 177 and 178 of Georgia’s Criminal Code, covering theft and robbery. The ministry said those articles provide for imprisonment of up to eight years. Separate rules apply to juvenile suspects; any sentence would be a matter for the court if the case proceeds to trial.
Interior Ministry footage released with the statement is on YouTube.
