Pafos Live 11 March 2024
The owner of a livestock farm in the village of Prodromi reported to the police that in recent days at least five lambs worth about €500 had been stolen from his paddock.
Last night, a police patrol that was in the area as a precaution noticed a vehicle approaching the premises. One of the two occupants got out of the vehicle and approached the premises, resulting in his arrest by the police.
He is a 42-year-old Lebanese permanent resident of Cyprus. The driver of the vehicle managed to escape. However, testimony was secured against him and he was later arrested. He is a 22-year-old Syrian also a permanent resident of Cyprus.
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A 38-year-old Syrian political refugee and his 27-year-old Romanian partner turned their apartment into a warehouse for stolen goods.
Members of the anti-narcotics service who had obtained a court order for investigation went last night to their apartment in Paphos where they found no drugs. But they found dozens of electronic items and tools believed to be stolen.
In particular, laptops, watches, mobile phones, tree mowers and other tools were found, for which the residents of the apartment give no explanation so far.
Both who have been arrested declare themselves unemployed. Members of the YKAN team had gathered information that the occupants of the apartment were distributing drugs and that the items may have been exchanged by drug users.
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A minor driver, also a minor, was allegedly spotted by the Game Service on Saturday in a rural area of Argaka, when their vehicle was stopped, while in another case a taxi driver who exceeded the speed limit was allegedly spotted by the police driving under the influence of drugs.
According to Pafos Assistant Police Director of Operations, Michalis Nicolaou, on March 9 at around 11:00 in an area of Polis Chrysochous and specifically in a rural area of Argaka, members of the Game Service noticed a vehicle being trafficked suspiciously, while suspicions were raised that it was a person engaged in poaching.
The vehicle was then intercepted and the police were called. It was found that "the vehicle was driven by a 15-year-old who had a 13-year-old as a passenger." The two minors were then taken to the Police, where their parents were called and picked them up, since due to the age of the driver, the case is handled differently.
Examinations, Nicolaou told CNA, are continuing to determine under what circumstances the vehicle came into their possession and as a result they committed the above offences.
The owner of the vehicle is said to be the father of one of the two drivers, who bears responsibility, Nicolaou said, for the use of his vehicle and will be prosecuted.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, around 4:10 p.m., members of Group "Z" intercepted a public taxi vehicle, the driver of which allegedly exceeded the speed limit.
According to Nicolaou, the driver was running 80 kilometers instead of 65 kilometers. The driver, aged 47, underwent a narcotest test and reportedly tested positive.
During the three days, a total of 133 traffic complaints were made under the coordinated operation, of which 15 were for driving under the influence of alcohol, two complaints were made for driving under the influence of drugs and 50 drivers were reported for speeding. The remaining complaints concerned minor traffic offences.
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Filenews
New data in the tragedy with migrants off Cyprus with victim a 6-year-old boy whose body was thrown into the sea and three missing people who fell into the water to bring help. In their statements, the occupants of the boat, which had been adrift for nine days, said the 22-year-old, who had been arrested for manslaughter, was not the navigator of the fatal boat.
The migrants claimed that the boat's navigator was among the three people who dived into the water and were missing. After their statements, the case file was sent to the Legal Service and instructions were given to release the 22-year-old, who allegedly occasionally drove the boat when its navigator slept.
The young Syrian was released on Friday and taken to the Pournara Accommodation Center, along with the other 30 migrants. It is noted that so far there is no question of criminal prosecution of anyone for the tragedy and proceedings will be initiated if and when the person indicated as the boat's navigator is found alive. All those who gave evidence, meanwhile, corroborated the testimony of the 6-year-old's father, who said that on February 28 his child passed away and that he was wrapped in a blanket and thrown into the sea. A short time later, three men from the boat, which started with 35 people on board, fell into the water and tried to get ashore to bring help. Despite the JCC investigations, they could not be identified.
The migrants also said they gave between $2,500 and $3,000 to smugglers to be transported to Cyprus and set off from a shore on Syria's Lebanese-Lebanese border, without knowing the exact location. They also said that the boat, due to bad weather, became adrift and ran out of fuel, food and water and that they drank seawater to survive.
Meanwhile, a 36-year-old Syrian man continues to be hospitalized in serious condition with hypernatrosis at Nicosia Hospital. It is recalled that the boat with the migrants started on February 20 and was spotted on February 29 58 nautical miles off Cyprus. After a dramatic operation by the JRCC, due to bad weather conditions, 31 people were rescued.
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