Pafos Live 14 April 2025
A vehicle belonging to a 23-year-old Syrian resident of the village of Stroumbi was set in flames an hour after midnight.
The car was parked in the parking lot of the house where the young man lives. The fire was extinguished by the fire service and the first estimates speak of malicious action since traces of flammable material were found at the scene. The exams will continue today.
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A forty-year-old Greek Cypriot resident of the village of Mesogi was released yesterday without being charged, awaiting the results of the scientific examinations, after being detained for a day. He had been arrested on suspicion of killing a protected eagle with poison.
After an investigation, evidence was found in his residence that refers to poaching. The investigations of the authorities began when the monitoring device on the spotted Eagle registered it dead. The bird was found dead in a rural area of the village of Mesogi. The owner of the plot and the house, a 40-year-old Greek Cypriot, refused to appear at the site and did not cooperate with the members of the Game Service and the Police, raising suspicions. A search with a court warrant followed, both in the house and in the premises included in the fenced area.
The members of the hunting service come to the conclusion that from the posture of the dead eagle's body it seems to have died of poisoning, while right next to it was found a half-eaten chicken which seems to have carried poison. In the premises of the man who has been arrested, preparations of prohibited pesticides were found, which appear to have been purchased from the occupied areas, the possession and use of which is prohibited within the Republic.
The investigation also identified a large amount of evidence pointing to a number of serious violations of various legislations, such as unlicensed hunting weapons, a wild bird trapping net, iron traps, wire loops, limesticks and devices for attracting wild birds through sound reproduction. Prohibited cartridges were also found, which are usually used for poaching wild animals, as well as a number of fireworks.
It is noted that the Spotted Eagle or Boneli Eagle is an endangered species, strictly protected and very important for the wildlife of Cyprus since there are less than 130 birds of the species left.
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A 24-year-old man suffered an amputation on the fingers of his right hand while he was curious about a factory firecracker in Larnaca on Sunday, while due to the serious injury he was transferred to the Nicosia General Hospital, where he is expected to undergo surgery.
According to the Spokesperson of the Larnaca Police Department, Christodoulos Consolo, the 24-year-old, permanent resident of Larnaca, was transferred to the A&E of Larnaca Hospital early in the afternoon.
"From examinations carried out, it was found that while he was alone in the area of Agioi Anargyroi, in Larnaca and was looking at a factory firecracker, under conditions that are being investigated, there was an explosion, resulting in an injury to his right arm," he added.
He states that "from the explosion he suffers amputation of the upper end of the phalanx of some of the fingers on his right hand.".
"Due to the condition of his injuries, it was deemed necessary to transfer him to the Department of Plastic Surgery of the Nicosia Hospital where he is expected to undergo surgery," he said.
The Police appeals to citizens and especially parents "to be vigilant and observe the movements of their children in relation to their involvement in the use of firecrackers in order to prevent serious injuries in view of the Easter holidays".
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The Police recently arrested a young man following an attack on two women working at a pharmacy.
According to information, the man entered the Pharmacy in Chloraka and, under circumstances that are being investigated, made threatening gestures towards the two pharmacists who were working at the Pharmacy at the time, holding a knife.
The arrested man, as PafosPress is informed, managed to inflict blows on the two women who were taken to Pafos General Hospital for treatment and further examinations. The same information states that the injuries are fortunately minor and their state of health is not of concern.
The young man is currently at the Paphos Police Station and is being questioned.
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Filenews
Quantities of cocaine and cannabis were located and confiscated yesterday by the Police, members of which proceeded to the arrest of a 42-year-old resident of Limassol, to facilitate the investigations.
After an evaluation of information, members of the Police stopped in the morning for a check, a car driven by the 42-year-old, on a street in Limassol. During the control that followed, a quantity of cannabis, with a gross weight of 2.4 grams, was found and confiscated.
A search followed, in a premises maintained by the 42-year-old in Limassol, where three packages containing cocaine, with a total gross weight of 39 grams and 16 packages, containing cannabis, with a gross weight of 69 grams, were found and confiscated.
The 42-year-old was arrested under a court warrant and detained to facilitate the investigations. He is being investigated for the offences of illegal possession and use of drugs and illegal possession of drugs for the purpose of supplying to another person.
The YKAN (Limassol District Division) is investigating the case.
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A 52-year-old man was handcuffed for an incident of causing damage to the offices of the Department of Social Integration, in Latsia, on Monday morning (14/04).
According to the Police, around 06:00, the 52-year-old went to the scene and started throwing stones at the windows of the offices, causing them to break.
The Police rushed to the scene and proceeded to arrest the 52-year-old and transferred him to the Police Station for interrogation.
It is noted that at the time of the incident, the offices were closed and no injuries were caused.
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A case of conspiracy to commit a felony, fighting, injuring, stabbing, assault causing actual bodily harm and illegal stay on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, is being investigated by the Limassol Police Department.
Specifically, around 4.30 yesterday morning, three persons who were injured went to a private hospital in Limassol.
Members of the TAE and the Limassol Emergency Response Team went to the hospital immediately afterwards, where they found out that they were third-country nationals, aged 27, 28 and 32.
After being given first aid by the doctors on duty, they were discharged.
According to their claims, while they were previously in a nightclub in Limassol, there was a fight resulting in their injury.
In the context of the examinations and on the basis of the evaluation of evidence, the above persons were arrested on the basis of court warrants and detained to facilitate the investigations.
The TAE Limassol continues its examinations.
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A minor was arrested by members of the Police, pursuant to a court warrant, in the context of an investigation into a car arson case, which was committed today in the Paphos district.
According to the data under investigation, around 1.00 a.m. on Monday, a fire broke out in a car, which was parked in the parking lot, at the residence of its owner, in the Paphos district.
The fire was extinguished by members of the Fire Service, while from the examinations carried out at the scene by the Police and the Fire Service, it was found that the fire had been maliciously started.
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The prison guard involved in the case of illegal trade in the Central Prison was re-arrested. For the case, which concerned a "kiosk" that operated in the prisoner's cell from which objects were sold to other convicts at high prices, two more people had been arrested, in connection with the offenses of decency of a public official, abuse of power, etc.
According to the Police, the member of the Central Prison Department was rearrested yesterday 13/4/2025 and appeared today before the Nicosia District Court, which issued a detention order for eight days.
The new offenses being investigated against him concern abuse of power, Violation of Official Secrecy, Personal Data Law, Theft by a Public Official, as well as Illegal Possession of Property.
The TAE of the Crime Fighting Department of the Police Headquarters continues the investigation of the case
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The Permanent Assize Court of Larnaca recently imposed concurrent sentences, with a maximum sentence of five years' imprisonment, on an accused who, in order to make a profit, assisted 31 irregular migrants from Syria to illegally enter the territory of the Republic of Cyprus by sea.
Specifically, the defendant was found guilty by the Assize Court on five charges, namely:
- the offences of the entry of a prohibited immigrant into the Republic and the assistance of a prohibited immigrant to enter the Republic, in violation of the Law on Aliens and Immigration,
- the offence of transporting persons by waterway with an overloaded boat, in violation of the Criminal Code,
- the offences of participation in migrant smuggling and membership of an organised criminal group, in violation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.
According to the Court's findings, the defendant committed the offences in exchange for not paying any amount to the smugglers himself, agreeing to sail a boat from a Syrian port, knowing from the outset that the purpose was to transport the irregular migrants to Cyprus. For this purpose, there was extensive planning, since the accused, in order to navigate the boat, agreed with the smugglers to receive navigation lessons, while he also had communication through a device with another person who explained the route to him.
As the Court of Assize states in its decision: "The number of illegal immigrants on the boat was very large and amounted to 31 people, which made the boat overloaded and unsafe. It is therefore clear that the accused, even if he was not the organizer of the trip, did not hesitate to participate in the smuggling of a fairly large number of illegal immigrants, participating in a criminal group that brought illegal immigrants to the Republic in an organized way and in exchange for financial benefit. With his behavior and without any hesitation, the defendant made himself an active member of a group that exploited people."
The Court continued by reiterating the need for a strict treatment of offences related to illegal entry, transit and stay in the Republic, due to the increase observed in their committing, but also the fact that they cause problems of a social and economic nature as well as problems of policing.
On behalf of the Attorney General of the Republic, the case was handled by Mr. Marios A. Koutsoftas, Lawyer of the Republic.
