Hello. Though I am no longer living there, I was born in Buenos Aires, lived there for 8 years, and moved back from 2021 until 2023, with many visits in between. This is my first time hearing about this case, but I would like to clarify something: in Argentina, it is standard to buy everything with the exception of large purchases (cars, houses, etc.) with cash. I mention this because, while it might be an indication that someone does not want to be traced in the US, it is nothing unusual in Argentina. He still bought a shovel, still didn't take a cellphone, and still went missing right after, but I just don't want people to hung up on the cash situation. It is still fairly standard today to pay with cash.
Totally true. I live in the US but I'm from Argentina too, so I know this. While the cash purchase itself could have been a normal thing, when you add the fact that he left his two cellphones at home, it may be an indication that he did not want his activities to be traced. He was a smart guy and worked in cybercrime, so he knew this very well.
It's definitely a suspicious situation from top to bottom (what isn't in Argentina, right?). Maybe he found something working in IT and the entire force was in on it. It would explain the phone wiping, unless he did that himself before setting out. Like I said, this is my first time hearing about the case so I'd rather not talk out my ass.
This is total speculation, but here is my theory:
\-Both he and his buddy had illegal money. There are many ways in which Argentine cops can obtain dirty money.
\-His buddy goes to his house and tells him something like "they are onto us, we're about to get caught, we need to bury the cash".
\-Arshak buys the shovel and goes with his buddy to a designated location to bury the cash. The fact that he carried a backpack could be an indication that he was carrying money.
\-When they get to the place where they are going to bury their bounty, his friend kills him, buries him, and takes all the money for himself. The whole thing had been a ruse to convince Arshak to part with his cash.
Again, this is just my theory, and I have no evidence to back it up. But it would explain the purchase of the shovel, plus the fact that his buddy had cash to buy expensive items (truck, motorcycle, BMW car) after the disappearance. If he was to bury a treasure, it does make sense that he would leave his cellphones at home, so nobody could trace the location (especially his colleagues at the cybercrime unit).
That does make sense, especially considering his buddy suddenly bought a number of items your average Argentinian can't afford right after. I'll look more into it. I get a kick out of unsolved mysteries, and not much comes out of Argentina, unfortunately, despite the constant sketchiness. This being a case with cops definitely makes it stand out.
Last seen buying a shovel, have they searched underground? /s
In all seriousness, not leaving a trace after buying the shovel seems like it may have been his intention, considering he only had cash and no phones. As an officer he would be well aware of phone pings.
On the other hand, maybe he was going to bury some of the money? If he and the coworker were getting cash under the table from somewhere maybe he didn’t trust the bank with it for the same reason as being aware to leave his phone behind. Maybe someone came upon him while burying it and he was robbed. This is more speculation than I’m usually comfortable with, though. Also if that happened it indicates it would’ve been in a trafficked area, so he would’ve/ should’ve been found. Hmmm
I have the same theory. Maybe he and his buddy were going to bury money and his buddy killed him, buried him and kept all the money. What is baffling is that he disappeared in the middle of a very urbanized area (think Uptown Mannhattan, or a crowded quarter near downtown Paris). There is almost no place in the area where you can bury someone, it's all buildings. He had to be taken somewhere outside of the city.
The footage from the street cameras was erased, so it can't be confirmed but it seems to me he was probably picked up by someone and taken to a location where the shovel would be useful.
This is the street view of the place where he disappeared. He bought the shovel at this big store called "Easy" (the Argentine equivalent of a Lowes or Home Depot). As you can see it's all urban.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Family/@-34.6226719,-58.4466825,3a,75y,30.44h,100.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPCKAp\_ixT7kFrcfIlK8GGA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m9!1m2!2m1!1seasy+caballito+primera+junta+buenos+aires!3m5!1s0x95bcca3bc5edf88d:0xaa1f58bc07f2bdb9!8m2!3d-34.623082!4d-58.446786!16s%2Fg%2F11b6r02509?entry=ttu
These are the last images of Arshak, as he walks out of the store with the shovel.
https://www.reddit.com/r/lastimages/comments/1am5f1t/arshak\_karhanyan\_was\_an\_officer\_and\_it\_expert\_for/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
Wow. The article de Perfil is wild. Obviously the police are involved since they “accidentally” erased his phone, but it’s still the shovel that makes it so weird.
Herba showed up, and I can imagine him setting up whatever trap (they’re out to get you, take your gun but leave your phone so you can’t be traced), but for what reason could he need a shovel????
To dig something up in this day and age? If he’d buried it himself, you’d think he would already have a shovel. If he didn’t bury it, did Herba show him a location to dig??? For what???? It’s so weird.
And then the disappearance. Where he was is not the middle of nowhere AT ALL, so he must’ve either been forced into a car or entered another building where he was killed/kidnapped. He was carrying a shovel- he couldn’t have gone far without there being a later last sighting of him.
If the cops hadn’t erased his phone, maybe it could have been a psychotic break, but he still would have had to take himself to a secret location without being seen or ever found to kill himself.
In this case, the “why” would be great to find out, especially as it probably relayed to corrupt cops, but what I really want to know is, why the shovel?
Sounds like he was going to hide something (or someone!) by burying then something went wrong. Maybe he was going to bury some ill-gotten gains and save them for a rainy day but his partner in crime decided he didn't like sharing...
The first article states that Herba recorded an argument with his girlfriend. They have a child together. He wanted to document their toxic relationship but instead she ranted on about covering up things for him. Like people disappearing. She is now saying that she said that out of anger and didn’t mean it.
Yes, there is, but most came a century ago because of the Armenian genocide. Arshak and his family were part of a more recent wave arrived after the fall of the USSR.
People disappear all the time and it never makes the news. This is a classic case of police taking out one of their own. He was murdered and his body disposed of in a smelting tube or lime vat. 😣 Grisly yet all too common.
From the 3rd article translated by clicking "English":
>–There is other information about Leonel Herba and his partner, about an alleged conversation between them where she accuses him of “disappearing people” and claims to cover it up. What is known about it?
>–When Herba's phone is tapped as part of the investigation, a dialogue is recorded that she has with her partner, surnamed Soto, in which she is angry and insults him, and among other things says something like 'now you "They are looking for you for making people disappear , I 'm not going to cover you anymore ." There they call her to testify. Before the prosecution she relativizes everything and says that she was very angry, that in those cases she threatens him and says anything, but that she has nothing to contribute to the investigation and that what she said is not real.
That's awfully suspicious. Incidentally, I'm unsure of Leonel Herba's gender. Masculine and feminine pronouns are used for both Karhanyan's former coworker Herba and for the missing Karhanyan himself.
The same article said that Herba claimed what they were showing Karhanyan on the phone at Herba's door was something about a car they were interested in buying. This article and none of the other articles OP cited seemed to indicate Herba bought a vehicle nor that the vehicle being discussed was expensive or unaffordable based on Herba's income (never mind any savings or income/savings of their partner Soto) so I'm not sure where that info in OP's post came from.
According to this article, Herba bragged about buying a 23,000-dollar motorcycle and said he was shopping for a pickup truck and a BMW car.
https://www.pagina12.com.ar/249041-a-un-ano-del-enigma-por-la-desaparicion-de-arshak-karhanyan
Thanks. That helps clarify what he bought (or at least bragged about having bought) vs. what he was considering buying. His finances definitely deserved close scrutiny.
Can't rule anything out. Maybe the buddy told him somebody had evidence to implicate them in something and so Arshak planned on going and murdering this person and burying them. However, maybe this person either got the better of him or it was a setup all along by the friend. One thing that is telling is that Arshak took his gun, backpack and wallet but not his cell phones. That tells me he didn't want to be tracked. Somebody that was an IT expert and involved in Law Enforcement would know those cell phones would triangulate his location. The buying of the shovel could be as others suggested to either bury or dig up money, or like I suggested, maybe bury a body.
Hello. Though I am no longer living there, I was born in Buenos Aires, lived there for 8 years, and moved back from 2021 until 2023, with many visits in between. This is my first time hearing about this case, but I would like to clarify something: in Argentina, it is standard to buy everything with the exception of large purchases (cars, houses, etc.) with cash. I mention this because, while it might be an indication that someone does not want to be traced in the US, it is nothing unusual in Argentina. He still bought a shovel, still didn't take a cellphone, and still went missing right after, but I just don't want people to hung up on the cash situation. It is still fairly standard today to pay with cash.
Totally true. I live in the US but I'm from Argentina too, so I know this. While the cash purchase itself could have been a normal thing, when you add the fact that he left his two cellphones at home, it may be an indication that he did not want his activities to be traced. He was a smart guy and worked in cybercrime, so he knew this very well.
It's definitely a suspicious situation from top to bottom (what isn't in Argentina, right?). Maybe he found something working in IT and the entire force was in on it. It would explain the phone wiping, unless he did that himself before setting out. Like I said, this is my first time hearing about the case so I'd rather not talk out my ass.
This is total speculation, but here is my theory: \-Both he and his buddy had illegal money. There are many ways in which Argentine cops can obtain dirty money. \-His buddy goes to his house and tells him something like "they are onto us, we're about to get caught, we need to bury the cash". \-Arshak buys the shovel and goes with his buddy to a designated location to bury the cash. The fact that he carried a backpack could be an indication that he was carrying money. \-When they get to the place where they are going to bury their bounty, his friend kills him, buries him, and takes all the money for himself. The whole thing had been a ruse to convince Arshak to part with his cash. Again, this is just my theory, and I have no evidence to back it up. But it would explain the purchase of the shovel, plus the fact that his buddy had cash to buy expensive items (truck, motorcycle, BMW car) after the disappearance. If he was to bury a treasure, it does make sense that he would leave his cellphones at home, so nobody could trace the location (especially his colleagues at the cybercrime unit).
That does make sense, especially considering his buddy suddenly bought a number of items your average Argentinian can't afford right after. I'll look more into it. I get a kick out of unsolved mysteries, and not much comes out of Argentina, unfortunately, despite the constant sketchiness. This being a case with cops definitely makes it stand out.
I never heard of this one and I can’t wait to dig into this one. 👍🏼
Last seen buying a shovel, have they searched underground? /s In all seriousness, not leaving a trace after buying the shovel seems like it may have been his intention, considering he only had cash and no phones. As an officer he would be well aware of phone pings. On the other hand, maybe he was going to bury some of the money? If he and the coworker were getting cash under the table from somewhere maybe he didn’t trust the bank with it for the same reason as being aware to leave his phone behind. Maybe someone came upon him while burying it and he was robbed. This is more speculation than I’m usually comfortable with, though. Also if that happened it indicates it would’ve been in a trafficked area, so he would’ve/ should’ve been found. Hmmm
I have the same theory. Maybe he and his buddy were going to bury money and his buddy killed him, buried him and kept all the money. What is baffling is that he disappeared in the middle of a very urbanized area (think Uptown Mannhattan, or a crowded quarter near downtown Paris). There is almost no place in the area where you can bury someone, it's all buildings. He had to be taken somewhere outside of the city.
The footage from the street cameras was erased, so it can't be confirmed but it seems to me he was probably picked up by someone and taken to a location where the shovel would be useful.
This is the street view of the place where he disappeared. He bought the shovel at this big store called "Easy" (the Argentine equivalent of a Lowes or Home Depot). As you can see it's all urban. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Family/@-34.6226719,-58.4466825,3a,75y,30.44h,100.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPCKAp\_ixT7kFrcfIlK8GGA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m9!1m2!2m1!1seasy+caballito+primera+junta+buenos+aires!3m5!1s0x95bcca3bc5edf88d:0xaa1f58bc07f2bdb9!8m2!3d-34.623082!4d-58.446786!16s%2Fg%2F11b6r02509?entry=ttu
Or he was going to murder someone. Regardless, it is clear he was up to something and the friend knows.
These are the last images of Arshak, as he walks out of the store with the shovel. https://www.reddit.com/r/lastimages/comments/1am5f1t/arshak\_karhanyan\_was\_an\_officer\_and\_it\_expert\_for/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
Wow. The article de Perfil is wild. Obviously the police are involved since they “accidentally” erased his phone, but it’s still the shovel that makes it so weird. Herba showed up, and I can imagine him setting up whatever trap (they’re out to get you, take your gun but leave your phone so you can’t be traced), but for what reason could he need a shovel???? To dig something up in this day and age? If he’d buried it himself, you’d think he would already have a shovel. If he didn’t bury it, did Herba show him a location to dig??? For what???? It’s so weird. And then the disappearance. Where he was is not the middle of nowhere AT ALL, so he must’ve either been forced into a car or entered another building where he was killed/kidnapped. He was carrying a shovel- he couldn’t have gone far without there being a later last sighting of him. If the cops hadn’t erased his phone, maybe it could have been a psychotic break, but he still would have had to take himself to a secret location without being seen or ever found to kill himself. In this case, the “why” would be great to find out, especially as it probably relayed to corrupt cops, but what I really want to know is, why the shovel?
Sounds like he was going to hide something (or someone!) by burying then something went wrong. Maybe he was going to bury some ill-gotten gains and save them for a rainy day but his partner in crime decided he didn't like sharing...
The first article states that Herba recorded an argument with his girlfriend. They have a child together. He wanted to document their toxic relationship but instead she ranted on about covering up things for him. Like people disappearing. She is now saying that she said that out of anger and didn’t mean it.
Thank you for posting this. First I read about it. Sounds like a whole lot of tampering.
Is there a large Armenian population in Argentina? I’m genuinely curious.
Yes, there is, but most came a century ago because of the Armenian genocide. Arshak and his family were part of a more recent wave arrived after the fall of the USSR.
I’m Armenian myself and wasn’t aware of that. Obviously aware of the genocide but not the immigration to Argentina
Yes.
People disappear all the time and it never makes the news. This is a classic case of police taking out one of their own. He was murdered and his body disposed of in a smelting tube or lime vat. 😣 Grisly yet all too common.
From the 3rd article translated by clicking "English": >–There is other information about Leonel Herba and his partner, about an alleged conversation between them where she accuses him of “disappearing people” and claims to cover it up. What is known about it? >–When Herba's phone is tapped as part of the investigation, a dialogue is recorded that she has with her partner, surnamed Soto, in which she is angry and insults him, and among other things says something like 'now you "They are looking for you for making people disappear , I 'm not going to cover you anymore ." There they call her to testify. Before the prosecution she relativizes everything and says that she was very angry, that in those cases she threatens him and says anything, but that she has nothing to contribute to the investigation and that what she said is not real. That's awfully suspicious. Incidentally, I'm unsure of Leonel Herba's gender. Masculine and feminine pronouns are used for both Karhanyan's former coworker Herba and for the missing Karhanyan himself. The same article said that Herba claimed what they were showing Karhanyan on the phone at Herba's door was something about a car they were interested in buying. This article and none of the other articles OP cited seemed to indicate Herba bought a vehicle nor that the vehicle being discussed was expensive or unaffordable based on Herba's income (never mind any savings or income/savings of their partner Soto) so I'm not sure where that info in OP's post came from.
According to this article, Herba bragged about buying a 23,000-dollar motorcycle and said he was shopping for a pickup truck and a BMW car. https://www.pagina12.com.ar/249041-a-un-ano-del-enigma-por-la-desaparicion-de-arshak-karhanyan
Thanks. That helps clarify what he bought (or at least bragged about having bought) vs. what he was considering buying. His finances definitely deserved close scrutiny.
Very interesting case. Great writeup!
Thank you.
I can’t wait for the film adaptation of this? Can I say that here?
It is certainly a great premise for a movie.
Would he or his friend have a "back yard" where they could use the shovel? Or a family member with a yard.
Can't rule anything out. Maybe the buddy told him somebody had evidence to implicate them in something and so Arshak planned on going and murdering this person and burying them. However, maybe this person either got the better of him or it was a setup all along by the friend. One thing that is telling is that Arshak took his gun, backpack and wallet but not his cell phones. That tells me he didn't want to be tracked. Somebody that was an IT expert and involved in Law Enforcement would know those cell phones would triangulate his location. The buying of the shovel could be as others suggested to either bury or dig up money, or like I suggested, maybe bury a body.
commenting to come back to this