Pafos Live 8 November 2024
Paphos Police arrested a 37-year-old man last night who was wanted by Ukrainian authorities in connection with an arson case in 2023.
According to the Pafos Assistant Police Director of Operations, Michalis Nicolaou, late on Thursday night a member of Pafos airport who was conducting passport control in the arrivals area noticed that a 37-year-old foreigner had arrived on a flight, whose details were registered in the stop list by the Ukrainian authorities.
According to the Police, this is a person who was wanted by the authorities of Ukraine for the crime of arson committed on October 22, 2023, in Ukraine.
Nicolaou said that the police obtained a provisional arrest warrant from the Pafos District Court, under which the 37-year-old was arrested and the process of his extradition to the Ukrainian authorities is expected to begin today.
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Regarding a case concerning conspiracy to commit a felony, participation in a criminal organization, offences related to the Law on Terrorism, money laundering, etc., during the investigation of these offenses, new evidence has emerged.
Police on Tuesday re-arrested six people on court warrants. They were then brought before a court for the procedure for issuing a detention order, which continued yesterday. A detention order was issued against them for eight days.
It should be noted that in this case, last October, eight persons were arrested after a coordinated operation by the Crime Fighting Department of the Police Headquarters together with other Police Units and Services, to facilitate investigations, in the context of investigating information obtained by the Police.
Update - Filenews:
The terrorism case handled by the Crime Detection Department of the Hellenic Police Headquarters, in cooperation with the intelligence services of the Republic, takes on unpredictable dimensions.
The six suspects in the case of collecting and sending huge sums of money through occupied areas and Turkey to Idlib, Syria, on behalf of the terrorist organization HTS, while detained with the aim of deportation, were arrested again on Wednesday.
Yesterday, the ICF Headquarters, after the deportation order was annulled, brought them before the Nicosia District Court, which, after examining a relevant request by the investigators, approved 8-day detention orders against them, in a closed-door procedure that was completed in the afternoon.
It is not only the above facts that give dimensions to the case, but the newest evidence that emerged from the investigative work. According to information obtained by "F" and presented in this report, the mobile phones of the suspects, which had been blocked since the beginning of October, "talked" and showed that they were moving huge amounts of money for which no explanation can be given.
After forensic examinations of the phones of the now six suspects (initially eight persons had been arrested), the following findings emerged:
- In one case, the 44-year-old alleged treasurer of the terrorist organization HAYAT TAHRIR AL SHAM (HTS-evolution Al Nusra), based in Idlib, allegedly informed his associates through a chat on the online chat platform WhatsApp, that he raised the amount of €250,000 in Cyprus.
- Following decrees, investigators secured access to suspects' bank accounts and prima facie it appears that they were moving very large sums, which are not justified on the basis of their income.
- In one case, the wife of the 44-year-old, 1st suspect, aged 36, who had also been arrested and since yesterday has been detained, had sent her brother {29-year-old – 2nd suspect} a photo showing a money counting machine and in which the amount of €4,900 is indicated.
- In WhatsApp messages between the 36-year-old and her 29-year-old brother, they agreed on a large sum of €16,500.
- The 36-year-old again sent the 29-year-old images of bundles of banknotes (euros) on the floor of her home in Limassol.
The six suspects
The detention request, approved yesterday afternoon by the Nicosia District Court, concerns six persons. They are the main suspect and alleged treasurer of HTS, aged 44, his 29-year-old brother-in-law, his 36-year-old wife and three other men aged 35, 44 and 38, respectively. All of them, according to police, are alleged to have contacts with each other.
Initially, eight people were arrested in Paphos and Limassol for the case. A suspect of Syrian origin and holder of a 45-year-old Cypriot passport was released last October after nothing came to light against him. In addition, a 49-year-old man was released, since nothing aggravating emerged in his case.
Kin
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Filenews
The arrest of a 30-year-old homeless man on suspicion of stealing a musical instrument was carried out today by the ICF of Limassol. According to a complaint by a 35-year-old musician made today, November 7, at the ICF of Limassol, he said that his keyboard was stolen from a night bar in Limassol.
According to the complainant, he had been working in the area the night before and had placed the harmonium in a warehouse of the premises after the end of his work. However, when he went to collect it, he found that it had been stolen and immediately informed the police.
Immediately, members of the police rushed to the scene for on-the-spot examinations and secured testimony against the 30-year-old man. An arrest warrant was issued against the suspect and police arrested him today, with the suspect being detained.
It should be noted that during the examinations, the stolen keyboard was found in a neighbouring premises and was received as evidence. The value of the musical instrument amounts to €1,900.
ICF Limassol continues exams
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Six months after the revelation of the major international scheme of 133 marriages of convenience in Cyprus, a case for which there are 16 indictees, the 39-year-old Pakistani alleged mastermind of the ring was arrested in Germany and transferred to Cyprus early on Friday. This is a person who resided in our country and was registered as a student, who is alleged to be the mastermind of the large network that recruited people and organized weddings, 107 of which were held at the Aradippou Town Hall, 25 at the Nicosia Town Hall and one at the Livadia Town Hall.
The arrest of the 39-year-old, against whom a European arrest warrant was pending, is considered crucial in the case on which three countries (Cyprus, Portugal and Latvia) cooperated under the umbrella of Europol.
The investigations into the case lasted several months and on Monday, January 29, 2024, the three countries conducted a simultaneous European operation, codenamed "Operational Task Force Limassol", which was led by Cyprus. The information to the Cypriot authorities had been received in November 2020 from Portugal. According to her, women as well as men from Portugal and Latvia travelled to Cyprus and performed marriages of convenience with foreigners from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, in order to obtain a residence permit in the Republic and then travel to other European countries.
The criminal group has been active since at least 2017 in our country and only out of 133 sham marriages it is estimated that it had revenues exceeding €1 million. In total, so far, 17 arrests of foreign nationals have been made in connection with the case (14 in Cyprus), while another 19 persons are wanted. The international circuit operated, as it transpired, with the pyramid system and third-country nationals who wanted to get married paid, according to testimonies from brides, up to €10,000 for each wedding.
There are two separate trials in the case before the Larnaca Permanent Assize Court and a third is expected to be registered against the 39-year-old Pakistani. One defendant has 15 people and her hearing will begin on November 15. Three of the accused, two Indians aged 25 and 37 and a 44-year-old Portuguese woman (wife of an alleged Pakistani mastermind), who is accused of recruiting brides and sending them to Cyprus, face more serious charges as they appear to have had a significant role in the ring. The remaining 12 defendants, 11 grooms and one bride, allegedly performed sham marriages to obtain a residence permit. The only one to plead guilty to the charges she faces is a Latvian woman who recruited brides in Latvia who married in Cyprus. The case is set for events on November 12 and then a new date will be set for sentencing.
It is noted that Cypriot companies were also investigated for false insurance documents, while among those wanted is a Cypriot. The case is the largest of its kind ever uncovered in our country.
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Police have arrested a person in connection with a car arson case in Nicosia.
According to its announcement, in the context of investigating a case of car arson committed on 5/11/2024 in Nicosia, the Police proceeded last night to arrest one person.
This is a 48-year-old man who was arrested on a court warrant and taken into custody.
ICF Nicosia continues exams
