Wednesday, September 27, 2023

CRIME ROUND UP

Pafos Live 27 September 2023



Members of the Pafos Police Department filed 52 traffic complaints last night. Nine operators of scooterspersonal mobility deviceswere reported to have either not worn helmets and phosphorous insignia or were moving on expressways and squares.

20 drivers were also charged with violating the speed limit and one driver tested positive for a drug test. During the checks, a foreigner from India who was staying illegally in the territory of the republic was also identified, arrested and will be deported.

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24-year-old foreigner is wanted by the Paphos Police for two cases of burglary and theft of houses in Paphos committed in September.

According to the spokesperson of the Pafos Police Authority and Head of the Pafos ICF, Michalis Nicolaou, on September 18, a 35-year-old permanent resident of Cyprus reported that his residence was burglarized and property of a total value of €2,120 was stolen.

Also, on September 25, a 58-year-old permanent resident of Cyprus reported that the night before her residence had been burglarized and property worth a total of  €6,000 had been stolen. In both cases, testimony was obtained against a 24-year-old resident of Paphos against whom an arrest warrant was issued and is wanted.

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The Department of Customs and Excise seized a large quantity of duty-free tobacco products at Pafos airport on Monday, resulting in a fine of €15,000 for the passenger who transported them.

According to a relevant announcement by the Department of Customs and Excise, the Department of Customs and Excise, in a check carried out on the luggage of a passenger who was due to depart on Monday 25/9/2023 from Pafos Airport to the United Kingdom, detected and confiscated a large quantity of duty-free tobacco products, which were illegally transported from the occupied areas to the free areas of the Republic of Cyprus for export and sale to the United Kingdom.

Specifically, during the check of the two baggage, a total of 50 boxes of 200 pieces of cigarettes and 24 kilos of roll-your-own tobacco were found, which did not bear the smoke harm label in Greek and Turkish, nor the security feature and the unique traceability identifier, indications that they were duty-free.

The passenger was arrested for a flagrant offense and after accepting his request for an out-of-court settlement of the case with the payment of €15,000, he was released.

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As part of an investigation into drug possession and possession of drugs for supply, police arrested three people yesterday.

They are two men aged 47 and 44 and a woman aged 33.

The arrest of the above persons was preceded yesterday afternoon after coordinated actions, interceptions of their vehicles, which were moving in an area of the Limassol district.

Initially, the 44-year-old's car, in which the 33-year-old was a passenger, was stopped, where in a subsequent check in the luggage compartment of the vehicle, two nylon packages were found, containing a quantity of cannabis weighing four (4) kilos and about 700 grams.

A search of the 44-year-old in his possession also found a small quantity of drugs and a sum of money amounting to 2,925 euros.

Both the 44-year-old and the 33-year-old were arrested for flagrant offences and taken into custody. During the investigation of the case, the vehicle and the 47-year-old were intercepted, where in his possession were found three mobile phones and the amount of  €2,150.

In a subsequent search of the 44-year-old's home, located in a village in the Limassol district, four more packages were found, containing a quantity of cannabis, weighing five (5) kilos and approximately 755 grams.

Against all three persons, court warrants were issued and they were arrested to facilitate interrogations.

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Filenews

The possibility that the three incidents that occurred within a few hours in different parts of the Nicosia district are linked to each other, is being examined by the Cyprus Police.

The reason for the fierce fight that occurred on Sunday night at the community park of Lympia during a concert, the beating of a 30-year-old man by four masked men at 01:30 in the morning of Monday in Engomi and the two shootings against a vehicle in Lakatamia a few hours later.

Reports indicate that all three episodes are interconnected and have as their source what happened in Lympia. Namely, that the criminal acts in Engomi and Lakatamia are part of reprisals for the beating that preceded the community of the Nicosia district.

The same information indicates that the persons involved in the three incidents are linked to fans and/or other teams. This scenario seems to be reinforced by the fact that while the actions were directed against persons and it is a given that there were some injuries, there were no complainants / complainants to the Police.

It is indicative that the 30-year-old, who was hit at 01:30 in the morning on Monday as soon as he got out of his vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment building, had a head wound and a deep wound from a sharp object in the leg, but did not report the incident to the police.

The police began conducting tests to determine if the first two incidents (those of Lympia and Engomi) resulted in injuries, trying to obtain information from public and private hospitals.

Although the prosecuting authorities are considering the above possibility, they do not exclude another scenario. They also evaluate testimony stating that what happened in Lympia came from a misunderstanding and that there are no deeper causes.

However, officially the Police do not comment on anything in relation to the above. A sign that he wants to take a responsible stance since there is no flow of information about the events in question and certainly no complainers.

The three incidents:

· On Monday night, a fierce fight broke out between two groups of people at a concert in the community park of Lympia. Video footage showed some people even throwing barrels to beat the "warring camp". When police officers arrived at the scene, the fight broke up, and they were told that private guards were imposing order.

· At 01:30 in the morning on Monday, the incident in Engomi followed with an injured 30-year-old. When he got out of his vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment building, he was attacked by four masked men holding clubs and other objects. He managed to escape and then another person transferred him to a private hospital where he was detained for further treatment. He had wounds to the forehead (mark from a blow) and leg, where a sharp object (possibly a screwdriver) was nailed. The 30-year-old said he did not suspect any person and gave no further details.

· In the early hours of Monday, an unknown person fired two shots with a shotgun at a vehicle parked outside a house in Lakatamia. Damage was caused to the glass and passenger door. The car belongs to a 62-year-old man, but is used by his 24-year-old son. Police arrived at the scene at 08:00 in the morning following a tip-off.

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The notorious case of beating the 40-year-old mother from Iran, with her two pensioners, landlords, as defendants, has evolved into a series for strong nerves.

This is the well-known case with the video of shame, which came to light in August 2022, after a post by "KISA". A year may have passed since the incident in question, but two criminal cases are pending before the Limassol Court. One concerns the two retired defendants and the second, with the 40-year-old Iranian woman as the accused.

Yesterday "F" was in court where the court was scheduled to start the hearing against the Iranian mother, who is accused of the offence of threatening to do so. The 40-year-old appeared in court along with her minor child and after the necessary procedures were made, she appeared in the dock where she was charged with the one and only charge she faces, which concerns a threat of assault against her 76-year-old landlady.

The defendant did not admit and the Court set the case for February 2024. According to "F", the offense facing the 40-year-old Iranian woman, was committed on July 7, 2022, a month before the attack that saw the light of publicity.

We recall that the two pensioners threatened and beat the 40-year-old Iranian mother at noon on August 31, 2022, inside the residence where the 40-year-old lived and belonged to the couple. As "F" wrote in the past, the various frictions that existed between the couple and the foreigners were known to the authorities, as well as to the Social Welfare Services, however, despite any efforts made to resolve them, they did not bear fruit and culminated in the retired defendants threatening and attacking the Iranian woman.

As far as the couple's case is concerned, it also continues before the Court with its continuation set at the beginning of January 2024. Last November, the two accused pensioners appeared before the Court and were summoned to answer the charges they face. The 76-year-old admitted only the offence of assault and denied the remaining two charges. His 76-year-old defendant wife has pleaded not guilty to all three charges he faces.

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The 31-year-old eventually pleaded guilty to the attempted murder in Oroklini last December, in which a 6-year-old boy and a 42-year-old man were shot dead.

At the previous hearing, the defendant, despite having confessed to his act, had pleaded not guilty to a total of seven charges because they included attempted murder against the 6-year-old.

During today's hearing, the indictment was amended and the attempted murder against the child was removed. The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder against the 42-year-old, attempted murder endangering the 6-year-old's life, conspiracy to murder and four others count of possession and transport of a firearm and possession and transportation of ammunition.

Following this development, the judicial process will now move quickly and was set for events and sentence on October 6.

Police arrested the 31-year-old three days after committing the crime after linking him to genetic material isolated from a mask found at the scene.

After his arrest, the young man confessed that he was the perpetrator of the attempted murder that targeted the 42-year-old, against whom there was a death contract, claiming that he did not know that the child was also in the double cabin.

The defendant also implicated in his testimony the wanted Andreas Christou alias Kambouris, 35 years old from Sotira, who remains missing.

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The two defendants, 49-year-old S.A. and 54-year-old A.K., do not admit any charges in the double murder outside a pub in Ypsonas, committed on June 29, 2023, with 44-year-old Marios Onisiforou and 52-year-old Michalis Michael as victims.

During today's proceedings before the Permanent Assize Court of Limassol, the defendants were charged with the 3 charges they face and relate to 2 premeditated murders of the victims, Onisiforos and Michael, as well as the offence of injury against the 43-year-old, Theofilos Theophilos. Both defendants, unsurprisingly, pleaded not guilty. The case was set to begin hearing on November 15, 2023.

For his part, the defense lawyer of the 1st defendant, Alexandros Clerides, objected to his client's detention, noting that there is no testimony as to the premeditation of the crime. He also cited the issue of overcrowding in the Central Prison and additionally claimed that his client received death threats while under trial in the Central Prison. He asked to be released with conditions.

The Court reserved its decision in relation to the 1st defendant tomorrow at noon and until then he will be taken back to Central. As far as the 2nd defendant is concerned, the Court ordered that he remain in custody as an undertrial until the next hearing.

In the Assize Court room were once again the relatives of the victims, who were visibly moved. Inside and outside the hall there were a large number of members of the OPE Limassol, to avoid tensions.

According to eyewitnesses, Onisiforou and his 43-year-old friend were inside the pub drinking a drink when after 10 minutes the 2 defendants arrived and sat at a separate table. At some point the latter left, due to personal differences the 43-year-old had with the first defendant and his brother.

T.T., 43, sent another patron of the pub to check if the defendants had left. The patron came back telling him that the two wanted him out. The 43-year-old went out with Onisiforos and there they met the accused, with the former telling him "I will slaughter you bastard". An argument ensued with the 49-year-old defendant pulling out a knife and attempting to hit the 43-year-old, who managed to escape. From his fury, Onesiforos was not spared who received a fatal stab in the neck.

Scenes of panic ensued with the 43-year-old carrying the victim inside the pub to help him. Inside the pub, a new scuffle began with the 43-year-old throwing various objects in his defense. The defendants exited the pub and at that moment Michael arrived in his vehicle, who according to testimonies, approached the scene of the murder and demanded to know what happened.

The 49-year-old (1st accused) attacked him, threw him to the ground and stabbed him in the neck and face. While Michael lay bleeding on the ground, the second defendant kicked him forcefully in the head. Witnesses tried to approach the two men, with the first defendant holding the murder knife and threatening anyone who approached.

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A search and arrest warrant for two inmates in Central Prison was executed last night. They are Greek Cypriots aged 32 and 26, respectively. Both are suspects in a serious case of possession of drugs for the purpose of supply, which has been of concern to the Police and specifically the Anti-Narcotics Agency since September 19.

According to what a competent source told philenews, during the execution of the search warrant at the penitentiary, two mobile phones and two headphones for a telephone device were found in the 32-year-old's cell. All the items found were illegally in his possession.

The two suspects will be arraigned later in the day at the Nicosia District Court. The YKAN will apply for a detention order to facilitate the investigations.

On September 19, members of the YKAN had arrested a 39-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman as part of an investigation into drug possession, possession of drugs with intent to supply to other persons and money laundering.

Specifically, their vehicle was stopped at 20:00 in the evening of that day, while it was traveling in an area of the Nicosia district.

In a subsequent search, a quantity of cannabis weighing 1kg and 224 grams, a precision scale with traces of white powder believed to be cocaine, as well as a sum of money amounting to 585 euros were found inside the vehicle.

Both the 39-year-old and the 34-year-old were arrested for flagrant offences, and then, on the basis of a court warrant, a search was carried out at the 39-year-old's home, during which a quantity of white powder weighing about 510 grams, believed to be cocaine, was found, as well as a quantity of cannabis, weighing about 350 grams.

An 8-day detention order had been issued against the two persons.