Filenews 28 April 2025 - by Dora Christodoulou
An unprecedented conspiracy for the theft and sale of agricultural products seems to have been set up by some in communities of Laona in the Paphos district. Complaints that have been submitted to authorities and agents in Paphos since the end of last week, state that women workers in crops and other businesses in the area, enter fields, in some cases driving four-wheeled motorcycles, steal the agricultural products and immediately afterwards sell them to people who are obviously in the bay and waiting nearby.
The unbelievable things that seem to be happening in communities in the area came to light when a woman who owns artichoke crops spotted a woman in her field a few days ago who arrived at the scene driving a four-wheeled motorcycle. According to what the complainant complained, when her unknown woman noticed her, she started taking photos with her mobile phone and when the owner asked her what she was doing on her property, the foreign woman told her that she stopped for some photos of the surrounding area.
In the meantime, however, the owner has managed to realize that a large number of the artichokes had already been cut and were placed in bags next to the four-wheeler. And when she left to notify her relatives, a commercial vehicle appeared at the place with an unknown man, who was approached by the foreign woman with agricultural products. The man was seen giving her a €20 note, with the woman reacting angrily and the "buyer" then increasing the amount to €40, picking up the goods and leaving the scene.
The owner managed to photograph the four-wheeler in her field before the unknown woman left and proceeded with a complaint. As it seems, the issue is not isolated, since other plantation owners have also reported incidents of corresponding thefts and direct sale of the products, in a way that makes it clear that this is an organized situation.
The complaints were also made to Paphos officials who were in the area on Saturday due to the arrival of the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Alexis Vafeadis, in the city of Chryochous. MP Chrysanthos Savvidis confirmed these allegations to "F", referring to an organized spiral.
Residents and farmers in Drousia and other areas, he stressed, are complaining that women on four-wheelers literally invade fields, cut off the fruits and immediately afterwards people appear with vehicles that pay, take the products and disappear.
