Filenews 6 February 2022
Intensive investigations are being carried out by the Police to trace the two persons who escaped from their legal detention at the Pafos police department, according to the Spokesman and Head of the Pafos ICF Michalis Nikolaou.
Mr. Nikolaou said that since yesterday, after the escape, a Crisis Office has been operating on a 24-hour basis under the leadership of an officer, who controls and organizes all actions and operations based on the information that from time to time reaches the Police. He also continued, throughout yesterday [day and night] liaising with the various patrols dealing with interceptions and checks at the exits of the city of Pafos as they carried out searches in various residences of the friends and family environment of the two escapees and based on various information that reached the Police.
However he continued, so far there is no positive result. Mr. Nikolaou said that the investigations are ongoing and will continue until the two escapees are located and arrested. He also said that the 34-year-old (Ernai Kozmiov) last Tuesday presented himself to the Pafos District Court which referred him to trial before the Permanent Assize Court sitting in Paphos for twenty cases.
The 28-year-old (Alexandros Sarkisidis) stressed Mr. Nikolaou was detained for 23 cases and yesterday his detention expired but he would be arrested by the Limassol ICF for other cases allegedly involved in Limassol and which has been arrested.
In the meantime, three members of the Police have been suspended for the case of the escape of the two persons from their lawful detention at the Pafos police department, by decision of the Chief of Police of Cyprus, according to the Spokesman of the Police Headquarters Christos Andreou.
In a statement to the CNA, Mr. Andreou said that an investigation was ordered to determine the circumstances under which the two prisoners escaped. He also continued, a police officer was appointed who will investigate the circumstances of their escape.
According to an announcement by the Communication Branch of the Police Headquarters, the Police are looking for a 28-year-old (Alexandros Sarkisidis) and a 34-year-old (Ernai Kozmiov) of Russian origin, holders of Greek passports, in the context of an investigation into a case of escape from their lawful detention.
As stated in the announcement, in an inspection that took place yesterday morning, it was found that the above persons, who were detained in the detention facilities of the Central Police Station of Pafos, were absent.
The Pafos Police again appeals to the public that anyone who knows anything that may help in locating them, to contact the Pafos ICF at the telephone 26806021, or the nearest Police Station, or the Citizen's Hotline at 1460 or online through the category "Report a Crime" on the application and website of the Cyprus Police.
CNA
Filenews 6 February 2022 - by Dora Christodoulou
How a fire safety door key of the Pafos Police Department, in the area of the detention centres, ended up in the hands of the two detainees who escaped on Friday night or Saturday morning, are now being investigated by the officers appointed by the Chief of Police to draw up a report of events for the unprecedented escape of prisoners.
Information from "F" reports that the fact that in the possession of Georgian Ernali Kozmiov, 34, and the expatriate Alexandros Sarkisidis, 28 years old, who were even described as "particularly dangerous", was found on Friday night the key with which he opens a fire safety door is now taken for granted by the investigators of the case and answers, according to them, on why the escape was not noticed until the next morning, with the counting. In other words, there was no need for any action on their part that created noise or other conditions that would put the members of the force on alert who were in service during the period in question, but the two left as... gentlemen without making any noise and without having to take the slightest risk.
The already strange and still unanswered questions about the full aspects of the escape that night have been the subject of intensive investigations since Saturday morning. As of Saturday afternoon, three police officers of the Pafos Police Department have been suspended following instructions given by the Chief of Police, since they had duties in the detention centres on the night in question. In addition to the availability of the three, the disciplinary investigation of the case ordered by the Commander-in-Chief of the force has already begun.
At the same time, the search for the escapees continues unabated, but without result in the 48 hours that passed. The investigations, after covering the first hours after the discovery of the escape in the area of the city and the outskirts of Paphos, have now expanded throughout Cyprus, since the fact that the two were "lost from the face of the earth" for so many hours, is speculated to indicate that they already managed to leave Paphos. To facilitate their work, the Police released the photos of the two escaped prisoners.
The two were being held in custody for the cases of the last dozens of burglaries and thefts in Paphos and other provinces, for which seven other people have also been arrested. Kozmiov and Sarkisidis were considered to be the most important of those arrested in these cases, with the Police considering that they had a pivotal role in a ring of burglaries and thefts, which is why the first of them had already been referred by the District Court of Pafos to a direct trial at the Assize Court which will meet in Paphos on March 2nd.
It should be noted that for this reason, he should already be remanded in custody in the Central Prisons. However, the fact that he did not consent to undergo a molecular test for the coronavirus before his transfer, contributed to him remaining in Paphos, since the conduct of the test is a prerequisite for transfer to the Central.
