Filenews 31 October 2023 - by Ioanna Mantzipia
There is great concern among the authorities, especially at the Limassol Police Headquarters, following the gangster execution of 55-year-old Thanasis Kalogeropoulos yesterday morning. Authorities attribute the murder to organized crime, with a visible fear of a new cycle of blood.
Investigations into the motive behind the death contract are focusing on the open fronts that the victim had through various dealings. The 55-year-old's professional activities have also been put under the microscope, with experienced police investigators attributing the murder to settling accounts. "It was a well-thought-out and well-laid plan," said Lefteris Kyriakou, head of the ICF of Limassol, with the executioners putting it into practice at the right time.
The victim appears to have had several open fronts and had been called to testify as part of investigations into two other murders committed over the past decade.
The contract of death was executed with precision as the executioners and the alleged principals wanted Kalogeropoulos dead at all costs. This is evidenced by the large number of shots the victim received from the executioners at close range. The number of bullets is not immediately clear, but the 55-year-old has injuries to both his head and various parts of his body. Forensic pathologists Angeliki Papetta and Orthodox Orthodox are called to give answers on the number of bullets today, who will conduct an autopsy on the 55-year-old's body.
In an effort to ascertain the motive of the murder of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos, the investigators of the ICF of Limassol have recovered from their drawers, files of old cases where various information about him had emerged. From the first moment the murder became known, friends and relatives of the deceased were called to testify at the ICF offices. According to "F", friends of the 55-year-old had told him that he needed to be careful and take protective measures, however, he did not do so. In fact, he believed that his movements were careful and he frequented certain premises, especially in the mornings.
Investigations over the next 24 hours will focus on CCTV from the time the victim left his residence in Parekklisia, the route he followed and of course with whom he spoke on his mobile phone. At the same time, closed circuits are expected to be checked for the route followed by the perpetrators before reaching the scene of the crime, as well as their escape route. Investigations will also focus on the remote spot where the burned murder vehicle was found.
According to "F", the vehicle used by the perpetrators – who are believed to be more than three – was reported as stolen on October 7. In fact, the car was stolen from a specific area of Limassol. Another interesting element that emerges is the fact that its registration plates are also stolen. In particular, the plates belong to another vehicle, of the same type and make. It is currently unknown exactly when these plates were stolen. According to the same information, they belong to the car of a foreign person, who has not been living in Cyprus for months.
He took his children to school before he fell dead
The details of the murder are shocking after the victim, a father of three underage girls, made the last route to take his children to their school. As "F" knows, the 55-year-old transported his children and then went for his daily swim in the area of Agios Tychonas. Where he used to swim and walk every day while meeting in the café with some friends. Yesterday, however, he did not have time to get out of his vehicle as he fell dead from a murderous shot he received while in it.
Arriving at the café's parking lot, the 55-year-old stopped and chatted with a friend, however, this lasted for a very short time, after one of the assailants began shooting him with a pistol. The 55-year-old appears to have tried to flee even though he had been shot first. He drove a few meters in his vehicle and then the second hitman who had set him up, hooked him with a Kalashnikov from a distance of about two meters. The victim's vehicle struck a wall of the parking lot.
In front of the eyes of workers and bathers the execution
What unfolded yesterday outside the premises frequented by the 55-year-old is reminiscent of a mafia movie. Workers, citizens and bathers saw in front of them, within a few seconds, the murder in cold blood of a fellow citizen. The fact that the murder took place in broad daylight and in front of the eyes of dozens of citizens causes concern and at the same time demonstrates that the perpetrators wanted to execute their plan without fail.
What was described by a citizen who spoke exclusively to philenews, causes goosebumps. This particular person, who for obvious reasons we do not reveal his identity, saw the second executioner grazing the 55-year-old Kalogeropoulos in the head with a Kalashnikov, from a distance of about two meters. "At first I heard the shots but I assumed it was fireworks. I went to get something from the premises and then I heard gunshots again. I saw someone running next to the victim's vehicle, about two meters away and holding a large black gun and shooting. He shot him from a distance of a few meters. Everything was done in a matter of seconds. I saw that his face was covered," the witness said, noting that those at the scene ran to hide to protect themselves from the repeated gunfire.
