Monday, September 18, 2023

CRIME ROUND UP

 Pafos Live 18 September 2023



Three other drivers were found to be positive last night in drug tests carried out by police.

One of them, a young Greek Cypriot, was in possession of more than 7 grams of cannabis.

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In the context of actions carried out by the Anti-Narcotics Service in cooperation with the Customs Authorities to identify persons importing drugs into the Republic of Cyprus through airports, a 31-year-old man was arrested last night.


Specifically, after a check made by an officer of the Customs Department on the luggage of the 31-year-old, who arrived last night at Larnaka airport, three wooden discs were found in which there were carefully hidden nine nylon packages containing in total, one kilogram and 260 grams of white crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamine.

The 31-year-old was arrested for the offences of illegal importation of drugs, possession of drugs and possession of drugs with intent to supply to other persons

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A case of burglary and theft of a luxury villa is being investigated by the authorities.

According to the police on Sunday, a tenant of a villa reported that unknown persons entered the building and extorted a large amount of money.

Investigations conducted revealed that an amount of €105,000 in cash was stolen from the safe of the villa.

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The Fire Brigade was mobilized at dawn on Monday (18/09) after a fire broke out in a vehicle in Lakatamia.

It is reportedly the vehicle of referee Menelaos Antoniou's mother. The Fire Brigade received the call at 02:32 and rushed to the scene to extinguish the fire, while the vehicle suffered extensive damage. The car was parked in an open parking area in an apartment building in Lakatamia.

Then, police investigations showed that the fire was set maliciously and now, the microscope of the authorities is turning to the field of football, due to the professional activity of the referee.

In fact, on Sunday night (17/09), Menelaos Antoniou refereed the match Aris Limassol – Paphos that ended in a 1-1 draw.

However, this is the second arson attack in a short time on a vehicle connected to a referee of the Cypriot football championship, as at the beginning of the month (01/09) an explosive device was placed in the vehicle of Kyriakos Athanasiou, resulting in extensive damage.

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The Nicosia District Court issued an eight-day detention order yesterday against a 61-year-old man who was arrested for facilitating investigations into an ongoing arson case.

Specifically, at around 10.20pm on September 7, 2023, a fire broke out in three vehicles, which were parked in a residential parking lot in Nicosia. The fire spread to the house, causing extensive damage, while all three vehicles were completely destroyed.

The fire was extinguished by members of the Fire Brigade, while subsequent examinations at the scene found that the fire was set maliciously with the use of flammable material.

From further examinations by the Police, testimony was obtained against a 61-year-old resident of the Nicosia district. A judicial arrest warrant was issued against him, under which he was arrested and detained on September 16.

Yesterday, the Nicosia District Court issued an eight-day detention order against him to facilitate interrogations.

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Filenews


A 23-year-old man in Paphos was driving intoxicated on Sunday in Paphos.

Not only that, but when he was spotted by members of the Police, he refused to give a sample for final testing and pushed one of the officers, resulting in his arrest.

The case unfolded on a street in Paphos where members of the Police were conducting traffic checks. When they stopped the vehicle driven by the 23-year-old, the driver underwent a breathalyzer test reading 70mg, instead of 22mg which is the allowed limit.

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The five Israelis, aged between 15 and 19, who face serious charges of gang rape of a 20-year-old British woman in a hotel room in Ayia Napa on the afternoon of September 20, have been indicted in a direct trial before the Famagusta Permanent Assize Court in Paralimni, which will meet on October 3.

The suspects are specifically charged with rape, sexual abuse by penetration, copulation by force, coercion to commit intercourse or other acts of a sexual nature, indecent assault against a woman, sexual harassment and abduction.

The court ordered their detention until tomorrow in order to decide whether to grant the public prosecutor's request to detain them until trial. The five defendants deny raping the 20-year-old, who identified them  in a reconnaissance line. It is recalled that injuries and bruises were found on the girl's body, a fact that has been recorded in the forensic report. The 20-year-old British woman reported being gang-raped on Sunday, September 3.

She told police she went to the hotel where the suspects were staying to take part in a pool party. According to her complaint, while she was at the venue, she was approached by an unknown person, who was Israeli, and began flirting with her. The suspect then allegedly grabbed her by the arm and forcibly led her to the room he was staying in with other compatriots.

There, the 20-year-old claimed, she was raped successively by people who followed him.

The issue is extensively covered by international media, comparing the case to that of the 19-year-old British woman, who in 2019 had reported being gang-raped by 12 Israelis.

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Police made six arrests yesterday, before the start of the football match between APOEL and APOLLON, which took place in Nicosia.

According to the Police, the arrests were made during the arrival of fans of the two teams at the stadium, after checks carried out by the Police, they were found in possession of offensive instruments, explosives and small quantities of drugs.

Specifically, at 7.20pm, in the area of GSP stadium, members of the Police stopped a car driven by a 22-year-old man for inspection. During a subsequent search, 38 full shotgun rounds were found inside the vehicle. The 22-year-old was arrested for a flagrant offence and taken into custody to facilitate interrogations.

A little later, at 7.30 p.m. In the same area, a vehicle driven by a 34-year-old man was stopped for inspection. In a subsequent search, he was found in possession of a small amount of cannabis, a collapsible bat and a chemical gas spray. The 34-year-old was arrested and detained to facilitate interrogations.

Five minutes later, during a search of the vehicle of a 29-year-old man, in the same area, two pieces of wood, 70cm and 90cm long, were found. The 29-year-old was arrested for the offence of unlawful possession of offensive instruments and detained to facilitate interrogations.

At around 8.15pm, members of the Police proceeded to arrest two persons, aged 26 and 21. In the car, two slingshots and a number of gunshot were found.

Finally, around 8.40p.m. Members of the Police signalled to fans, who were heading on foot to the stadium, to stop for checking. A young man, who had his face covered with a scarf, attacked a member of the police and insulted him. The young man was arrested for a flagrant offence, only to establish that he was a 27-year-old man, who was detained to facilitate interrogations.

After the end of the match, in one stand of the stadium, minor tension was created by fans of one team, which ended immediately after the intervention of the Police.

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The circumstances of the new fatal accident involving Paraskevas Prodromou, 61 years old from Larnaca, are being investigated by the Larnaka Traffic Police, who arrested a 42-year-old British permanent resident of Cyprus.

The traffic accident happened around 3:15 am on Monday on the Kofinou-Larnaka highway, near the exit of Klavdia, when a car driven by the 42-year-old collided with the 61-year-old's vehicle ahead.

The saloon vehicle of the 61-year-old, due to the impact, followed a crazy course and was hurled into a ditch where it overturned.

The 61-year-old was trapped in the wreckage of his vehicle and it took the intervention of members of the Fire Brigade to extricate him. An ambulance took him to Larnaka General Hospital, where the on-duty doctor certified his death. The 42-year-old driver, who was not injured, underwent a breathalyzer test with a reading of 17μg instead of 22 which is the maximum limit by law, while a drug test was negative.

An arrest warrant was obtained against the 42-year-old on the basis of which he was arrested and detained. The 42-year-old is being questioned by the Larnaka Traffic Police, who are conducting tests to ascertain the speed he had developed.