Pafos Live 14 July 2025
The 78-year-old Greek Cypriot who has been arrested and detained as a suspect for the premeditated murder of 73-year-old Aristides Siamptanis yesterday in the area of Timi is being brought before the Paphos District Court today.
The arrested man reportedly confessed to the crime and has handed over the shotgun he allegedly used. It is noted that due to his friction with the victim, the police had seized his shotguns a few months ago. It is still unknown to whom the shotgun he used belongs.
It is recalled that yesterday, shortly after 11 a.m., a citizen found the body of Siambotanis in a ditch next to the road leading to Paphos Airport. The victim maintained an orchard and a country house in the area.
It was examined by the forensic pathologists Papettas and Orthodoxou and it emerged that the victim has a number of wounds in the dorsal and gluteal region, which were probably caused by a shot with a shotgun, according to the Assistant Police Director of Operations of Paphos Michalis Nikolaou.
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Yesterday's devastating fire in the area between Steni and Goudi started from crops in an uncultivated field, according to the fire service and was apparently maliciously set. From the fire that started after noon on Sunday and was brought under full control around 7.30 in the afternoon, an area of 75 hectares of crops, trees and wild vegetation was burned.
According to a post on Platform X by the Spokesperson of the Cyprus Fire Service, Andreas Kettis, the fire developed and spread in very inaccessible areas, noting that the strong winds made the firefighting work very difficult.
In addition, Mr. Kettis mentioned that on two occasions during its development, the firefighting forces protected individual residences.
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An attempted murder against a 49-year-old man was committed about half an hour after midnight today in Pyla.
Specifically, while the 49-year-old was in the courtyard of his house, 2 shots were fired at him, possibly from a pistol, by an unknown person who was wearing a hood. Immediately after the shots were fired, the unknown man fled.
From the shooting, the 49-year-old was injured in the leg and was transported by ambulance to the Larnaca General Hospital where it was found that he had a puncture wound to the right lower limb and was detained for hospitalization.
Further examinations will be carried out this morning by the Larnaca TAE.
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Pafos Press
Following the implementation of the assisted voluntary return program, a total of 120 foreigners temporarily residing in Paphos departed in recent days for their homeland.
Among them, 90 were Syrian nationals, men, women and minors, who joined the special repatriation plan, which allows them to return to their country with the support of the Cypriot authorities.
According to official data, several Syrians have returned from Cyprus to their homeland through this program, having withdrawn their asylum applications or revoked their protection status.
The program is in effect until August 31, 2025, provided that those interested have filed applications for asylum or protection before December 31, 2024. It also includes couples without children, but excludes prisoners.
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Filenews
As part of the Police's efforts to return third-country nationals, a total of 332 persons residing in the territory of the Republic of Cyprus were repatriated to their countries of origin last week, specifically between the dates 7-13/7/2025.
Since the beginning of the year, 6,737 persons have been repatriated through the procedures of forced and voluntary return to their countries of origin, while during the corresponding period last year, a total of 5,558 persons were repatriated.
The Police continues to focus its efforts on maximizing the number of repatriations of third-country nationals residing illegally in the Republic of Cyprus, in coordination with other competent Services.
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The presence and action of the Police for the prevention of crime and delinquency phenomena was intense on Saturday night, throughout Cyprus, with the conduct of organized patrols in specific areas, with checks of suspicious persons, but also with immediate response to calls from citizens. As a result of the policing measures, a number of persons were arrested for various offences, such as, among others, stabbing and possession of an offensive instrument, possession of drugs, possession of burglary tools and illegal entry into property.
In Larnaca, coordinated policing operations continued by the Police Directorate, with the assistance of the MMAD and the YAM. Patrols were carried out in various areas of the city and district of Larnaca, while the focus of the policing measures was the area of Finikoudes.
During the police checks on the coastal front of Finikoudes, the members of the Police proceeded to the arrest of a 19-year-old for the offense of stabbing and the arrest of a 31-year-old for the offense of possession of an offensive instrument, while a 29-year-old man was arrested for possession of a small amount of cannabis plant material. Two other persons, third-country nationals, were arrested for the offence of illegally staying in the territory of the Republic.
During traffic controls, 43 driver complaints were made for various traffic violations. Of the complaints made, eleven (11) complaints of drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol stand out. During the checks, two (2) motorcycles and three (3) cars were detained.
In the district of Famagusta, during a patrol in the Ayia Napa area, members of the Police noticed an incident of clash between young people. The members of the Police proceeded to arrest one of the young men, aged 22, while during the intervention of the police, the rest of the young men fled.
It is worth mentioning that, in all provinces, parallel checks were carried out in nightclubs, where, in order to prevent causing nuisance, a number of complaints were made for various violations, mainly concerning the terms of the operating license and the use of loudspeakers without a license.
Coordinated policing operations and actions, for the prevention and suppression of crime and any form of delinquency, continue daily, in order to increase the sense of security of citizens.
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Yesterday around 06:00 in the afternoon, information was received from the Police about a road accident on the Larnaca - Dhekelia road. At the scene, members of the Oroklini Police Station rushed to the scene, where they located two vehicles that suffered minor damage.
The drivers of the two vehicles did not suffer any injuries, while in a preliminary alcohol test to which they were subjected, it was found that one of the two drivers, aged 41, had an alcohol content of 104mg% instead of 22mg%, which is the limit allowed by law.
Subsequently, he was transferred to the Oroklini Police Station, where he underwent a final alcohol test with a reading of 130 mg% instead of 22 mg. The 41-year-old was arrested and detained.
The Oroklini Police Station continues the examinations.
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As part of a coordinated operation by the Nicosia OPE, in cooperation with the Nicosia Police Unit (Nicosia Squad), searches were carried out around 10 yesterday morning, based on court warrants, on the houses, premises and vehicles of two 23-year-old residents of Nicosia.
During the investigations, a total of about one kilo of cannabis was found, while the two 23-year-olds were arrested for the flagrant offense of illegal possession of drugs.
The two arrested were detained and this morning they are expected to appear before the Nicosia District Court for the issuance of a detention order.
The Nicosia Unit (YKAN) continues the examinations.
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The illegal use of fireworks caused the fire that broke out on Saturday night in Pachna, according to the Community Council of the area, which states that it is determined not to allow similar incidents in the future.
The Community Leader of Pachna, Andreas Aristotelis Savvas, released a video from the FireWatch A.I. fire detection system, which -as he states- clearly shows that the fire was caused by the throwing of fireworks without a permit.
In a strong announcement, the Community Council of Pachna warns that anyone who uses illegal fireworks from now on will be immediately reported to the Police and will suffer the provided sanctions.
"Pachna will not burn down because some people want to have an 'impressive' evening," the Council's statement reads, stressing that the safety of residents is not in the question.
The Community Council calls on citizens to respect the village and not to endanger human lives.
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A 58-year-old resident of Nicosia was arrested yesterday by the Police and detained, following an investigation of a complaint concerning the offences of mistreatment, neglect and unnecessary overexertion of an animal, exposure/submission of an animal without reasonable cause to pain and suffering, tethering a dog, failure to provide proper care and accommodation, as well as possession of a dog that is not registered, without marking and without a possession permit.
The 58-year-old arrested man appeared today before the Nicosia District Court where the case was registered for immediate trial.
The dog was picked up by the competent authorities and is in a shelter, while it is expected to be examined by an officer of the Veterinary Services.
The Nicosia Police Animal Unit continues the examination
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Cyprus Mail
A man appeared in court in northern Nicosia on Sunday after having been arrested for having allegedly driven into the Republic illegally near the village of Louroujina.
Louroujina is the north’s southernmost point and is located near the villages of Lympia and Potamia.
In court on Sunday, police officer Ebrar Kiris said that at around 11.15pm last Wednesday, a black vehicle driving with all its lights off exited the road between Ercan (Tymbou) airport and Louroujina “in a suspicious manner”.
She said the car then disobeyed police instructions to pull over, before driving towards Louroujina and then into the Republic.
With the police having identified the vehicle’s registration plate, they tracked the man down and arrested him on Saturday.
He was remanded in custody for two days.
Unauthorised crossings near Louroujina made headlines earlier in the year after a 24-year-old Pakistani national named Shoaib Khan was shot dead while attempting to enter the Republic near Potamia, with the police’s attempts to stop people crossing leading to firearms being discharged.
Khan was found dead in the Nicosia suburb of Strovolos some hours after the incident, with three cars having been found in various parts of the island with bullet holes in them in the following days.
Police representative Yiannos Yiannakos had said one of the men arrested in the incident’s aftermath had “admitted” to being a member of a smuggling ring, while another man had been arrested in the north.
