Filenews 3 June 2022 - by Natasha Christoforou
Virtually the only item the alleged robber did not leave at the Branch of Hellenic Bank in Kiti was his identity card, when he snatched more than €11,000. The details of the robbery are grotesque, with the alleged 33-year-old assailant committing the robbery with a beard and long hair and being arrested two hours later finely cropped and shaved. According to the Police, immediately after committing the robbery, the suspect went to his village, which is next to Kiti, and visited his barber where, after two years absence, he asked him to shave and cut his hair.
He stubbornly denies guilt, saying he did not go to the bank branch on Wednesday morning. However, the investigators of the Larnaka ICF, located the clothes he was allegedly wearing while he was identified not by one, but by three employees of the bank, since he was a frequent customer.
As told in the Larnaca District Court, before which the suspect was brought on Thursday morning, the 33-year-old the day before, shortly after 11:00 in the morning, wearing a black clothing mask against covid-19, which covered his mouth and nose, entered the bank. At first he allegedly spoke with an employee, who served him again and asked her if he could also have car insurance for his wife, like his own.
Then, according to the Police, after receiving the information he wanted, he entered the inside of the cashiers opening a wooden door and grabbed from the drawer a total amount of €11,300 and 10 pounds. The clerk pushed him and then the suspect left the room. When customers tried to stop him, he pulled out an object believed to be a folding bat, causing fear among customers and fled on foot. All his movements were recorded by the cctv of the bank.
When powerful police forces arrived at the scene, the three employees who identified him gave his details, saying that he often went to the branch.
The investigators of the Larnaka ICF, located him at one o'clock in the afternoon in his village, closely shaved and cropped. After a search of his home, the clothes he allegedly wore when he entered the bank were found. In addition, an amount of €1,440 was found in his possession.
The suspect allegedly went to the barbershop on a specific motorcycle, which he denied he possessed. The Police, however, located the motorcycle diligently hidden in an open area and are looking for the person who transported him to the spot in a car, who may be his accomplice. It is noted that the District Court of Larnaka issued a decree for the eight-day detention of the 33-year-old.
