Wednesday, April 16, 2025

CRIME ROUND UP

 Pafos Live 16 April 2025



The Syrian minor who was arrested by the police for setting fire to his compatriot's vehicle in Stroumbi,  appeared yesterday in the Paphos court, which issued a seven-day detention order against him.

He admitted that the vehicle belonged to his father, which he sold to his compatriot for the sum of €500.  He took the €300 but the new owner of the vehicle was late in paying the remaining amount and the minor set the vehicle on fire.

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Pafos Press

A 35-year-old man from Limassol, who has been arrested as a suspect in the attempted murder at a pharmacy in Chloraka, is expected to be transferred to Athalassa Hospital in Nicosia for further treatment, according to Paphos Assistant Police Director of Operations Michalis Nikolaou.

The thirty-five-year-old man, who was arrested on Holy Monday as a suspect in yesterday's attempted murder case, was examined on Holy Tuesday morning, by a government psychiatrist and was deemed to require immediate psychiatric hospitalization, Mr. Nikolaou reported.

Therefore, he added, the process of issuing a relevant decree by the Paphos District Court is underway, so that he can be transferred to the Mental Health Hospital in Nicosia for treatment.

The suspect faces charges of attempted murder, wounding, and stabbing.

According to the Police, around 10:00 on Monday morning, while two women, aged 33 and 23, were working at a pharmacy in Chloraka, they were allegedly attacked by the 35-year-old suspect, resulting in injuries.

They were transferred to Paphos General Hospital, where the 23-year-old employee was discharged after receiving treatment, while the 33-year-old owner of the pharmacy was kept in hospital after undergoing surgery, with her health condition being, according to the attending doctors, serious but stable.  

The 35-year-old suspect voluntarily presented himself at the Paphos TAE offices, handing over the knife, where he was arrested.

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Filenews

A 17-year-old and an 18-year-old were handcuffed by the Police, after they allegedly participated in an incident last Sunday in Aradippou, where a group of young hooded men set fire to large garbage baskets and caused explosions.

The young men, in fact, posted their illegal acts on an online platform, which, according to information from Filenews, led to the arrest of the two who are Greek Cypriots. For the case, which is being investigated by the Aradippou Police Station, other persons are being sought.  Specifically, in the early hours of 13/04/2025, information was received from the Police about a fire in garbage bins near a Gymnasium in Larnaca. Members of the Police went to the area, where they found five bins burning.

At the same time, information was received that the alarm sounded in a Primary School in the area. From subsequent examinations, it was found that damage was caused to a classroom door, which seems to have been caused by the throwing of an improvised incendiary device with a firecracker.

The two young men, who are allegedly related to explosions in at least 6 baskets, are expected to be brought tomorrow before the Larnaca District Court for the issuance of detention orders. They face a total of 9 common offences, including conspiracy to commit a felony, unlawful assembly, possession and use of explosives without a permit, disturbance, disturbance of peace and malicious damage.

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The Police proceeded to the seizure of a large quantity of duty-free tobacco products on Tuesday morning, after a traffic check on the Paphos-Limassol motorway, despite the Episkopi weighing station.

At about 10.45 a.m., members of the Traffic Headquarters stopped a car driven by a 24-year-old man for a check, as part of targeted checks. During the search of the vehicle, 50 boxes of cigarettes, 12 boxes of tobacco and a large amount of money were found, which the driver allegedly possessed without having paid the corresponding duties.

The tobacco products were counted by an officer of the Customs Department, who took over the case. The findings, as well as the 24-year-old's vehicle, were detained for further examination.

The authorities continue the investigation for a possible connection of the incident with illegal trade or tobacco trafficking circuits.

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For days, the operation of the YKAN had been under extreme secrecy, in relation to the detection of half a kilo of cannabis, military equipment and fireworks, which were found at noon on Holy Tuesday in an open area of Episkopi.

The findings of the operation have already been received for scientific examinations, while the military rifle will be subjected to a ballistic test to determine whether it has been used in other criminal actions. According to information from Filenews, the model of the weapon has not yet been clarified.

In a statement, the police said a military rifle, a number of cartridges, a quantity of about half a kilo of cannabis, as well as various types of pyrotechnics were seized.

After the gun, cartridges and drugs were found in the open space of Episkopi, the members of the Police Force proceeded to searches at a premises maintained by a Greek Cypriot in the area.

For the case, three people were handcuffed: a 24-year-old Indian, a 36-year-old Greek Cypriot and a 48-year-old Indian woman. The two foreigners are alleged to be employees of the Greek Cypriot, who is already a well-known person to the authorities and the Limassol Police Station.     According to information on our website, the 48-year-old is expected to be released, while the other two suspects will be brought tomorrow before the Limassol District Court for the issuance of a pre-trial detention order.
* * * * * *                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Members of the Limassol Police Station, after evaluating information, stopped two persons aged 36 and 27 for inspection shortly after noon yesterday in an area of Limassol.  During the check, a crusher with traces of cannabis was found in the possession of the 27-year-old, while in a search carried out inside a vehicle in which these persons were previously occupied, a crusher with traces of cannabis was also found.
Subsequently, in a search carried out at the place where the two persons were, two nylon packages with a quantity of cannabis weighing half a kilogram, a firearm, 92 full cartridges, five grams of cannabis resin, three grams of cocaine, two precision scales with traces of cannabis were found, while a factory firecracker was found in a water tank.
Arrest warrants were issued against the two suspects, under which they were arrested and detained, to facilitate interrogations.  The YKAN (Limassol District Division) is investigating the case.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      * * * * * *

The Police proceeded with the arrest of a 55-year-old man for illegal possession of duty-free animal products.

It is reported that members of the OPE stopped yesterday around 5:30 p.m., a vehicle driven by a 55-year-old man in the Larnaca district.

During the check, 64 kilos of chicken meat were found inside the vehicle, which the 55-year-old allegedly admitted to having bought without paying the legal duties.

The 55-year-old was arrested, while the seized goods were handed over to the Customs Department for further investigation.

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A robbery occurred around 12:45 in the morning of Wednesday 16/4/2025 at a kiosk in Lakatamia.

According to what was reported to the Police by an employee, the incident occurred when an unknown person, having his face covered, entered the kiosk and with the threat of a knife extracted a sum of money from the cash register.

Subsequently, he escaped on foot.

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A complaint of brutal police violence comes to light by a 38-year-old citizen from Limassol, who – as he claims through his lawyer, Sylvia Adamou – was brutally beaten by a group of police officers during his arrest, in the early hours of last Thursday (10/4).

The man is still hospitalized in a private hospital, having undergone spleen removal surgery while he also has fractures in his ribs.

This is the case of the 38-year-old, who, after his arrest, was taken to the Limassol District Court, however, due to his aggravated health condition, it was deemed necessary to be transported by ambulance to a private hospital in the city.

There, he underwent surgery to remove the spleen, while according to him and his attending physicians, he also has fractures in his ribs.

Due to his condition, he had to be hospitalized for a few days in the Intensive Care Unit.

According to what his lawyer told Filenews, her client claims that he suffered serious bodily harm, after being beaten during his arrest.

"I have been instructed to proceed with an official complaint and to initiate the investigation process into how he was abused and under what circumstances by members of the Police. Then, we will proceed to other legal actions", underlines Mrs. Adamou.

She said that within the next day she will send the complaint in writing to the Independent Authority for the Investigation of Allegations and Complaints against the Police, while she is expected to receive the patient's medical file from the hospital.

"Based on my client's allegations, he was kicked in the ribs by about 15 police officers during his arrest. Talking to him, he described to me that when they opened the door of the vehicle and he got out holding a shovel, the police officers started kicking him in the ribs. According to him, after he was transferred to a police station, he was in severe pain and asked to go to the doctor, but they did not allow him to do so. He was folded in pain all night and they didn't even give him water."

It is worth noting that the 38-year-old was taken to court last Thursday to register a case against him, but due to his health condition, he had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance.

As recorded in a report by Filenews, the man was led underground and in a very bad condition outside the courtroom with the help of police officers.

He did not appear before the judge, as he stated that he did not feel well, while at some point he was found lying on the floor, in a semi-fainting state.

The 38-year-old was arrested around 1 a.m. last Thursday, when the operator of a mobile phototagging unit alerted the Police that he was being obstructed by a driver during checks.

Police officers who rushed to the scene located the 38-year-old inside his vehicle.

According to the official announcement of the Police, the 38-year-old got out of the vehicle as soon as he realized the presence of the police officers, holding a metal shovel and unleashing insults.

He then allegedly attacked members of the Force, injuring one of them in the leg. He was arrested and, in a drug test carried out, it was found that he was positive.

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Cyprus Mail

A 57-year-old man has died after a horrific crash involving a British driver in Oroklini, Larnaca, police have confirmed. 

The collision occurred at around 10.20pm last night on Christos Auxentiou Avenue. A 46-year-old UK national, driving with his wife in the car, veered into the opposite lane and smashed into an oncoming motorbike.

The motorcyclist, Petros Christodoulou, a former Larnaca resident, suffered fatal injuries. It remains unclear whether he was wearing a helmet during the crash.  

Emergency services rushed him to Larnaca general hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. 

The British driver was tested for alcohol and drugs at the scene, both results were negative. However, he was later arrested under a warrant issued by Larnaca traffic police, who continued to investigate the circumstances of the crash.  

Authorities are appealing for witnesses as they piece together how the collision happened.