Pafos Live 4 August 2025
The Police arrested a 49-year-old woman today, pursuant to a court arrest warrant, in the context of an investigation into a case involving the extortion of property through false representations and money laundering.
According to a complaint made on July 11, 2025 at the Paphos TAE by a 75-year-old man, the suspect, a resident of Nicosia, between May, 2023 – October 2024, introduced herself to him as a former bank employee. Further, the suspect mentioned that she had connections and could help him acquire real estate and land at bargain prices.
According to the complaint, the 75-year-old paid the 49-year-old the total amount of €720,000, while as he found out, there is no title deed in his name.
The Paphos TAE continues the exams.
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Damage to a total of six small windows (light wells) of the technical inspection building of the Paphos Road Transport Department was discovered this morning by T.O.M. employees, around 08:00. According to the Assistant Police Director of Paphos, Michalis Nikolaou, the Authorities were immediately informed and members of the Paphos T.A.E. rushed to the scene for on-site examinations. As Mr. Nikolaou stated, it is not ruled out that the damage was caused by gunshots or airgun pellets, which is why the arrival of specialized members of the Forensic Investigation Service (YPEGE) is expected for further investigation and scientific analysis. However, the Service has temporarily given instructions to temporarily suspend work today until the investigations by the Police are completed. The examinations are in progress.
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Pafos Press
Five men were found guilty at the Old Bailey in London of the brutal murder of 27-year-old Cypriot Antonis Antoniadis, who had travelled from Greece to the UK for a holiday. According to the Paroikia, the perpetrators followed the victim for eight miles and half an hour before fatally stabbing him outside his friend’s home in south-east London. The murder took place in the early hours of 7 July 2024. Antonis had been partying with friends at a club near Oxford Circus and left by taxi at around 08:15 a.m. for the New Cross district. However, unbeknownst to them, their taxi was being followed by the five defendants, who had earlier been in the area around the nightclub for hours in a stolen vehicle. When Antonis and his friends got out and tried to enter the house, four of the five defendants – 20-year-old Sofian Alliche, 26-year-old Shian Johnson, 20-year-old Joshua McCorquodale and 18-year-old Alfie Hipple – emerged from the car wearing hoods and carrying large knives. They grabbed Antonis’ bag and stabbed him in the chest and right thigh, fatally severing his femoral artery. Antonis was taken to hospital, where he battled for two weeks, but succumbed to his injuries on 21 July. The fifth defendant, 18-year-old Amin Alliche, who was 17 at the time, had remained behind the wheel of the vehicle during the attack. After the crime, the perpetrators fled with the victim’s mobile phone, which they sold, and returned to Camden, where they hid the stolen vehicle under a stolen car cover. Despite the fact that there was no CCTV footage from the time of the murder, officers from the Metropolitan Police in London worked methodically, examining hundreds of hours of security camera footage. They were able to reconstruct the movements of the defendants before and after the crime, definitively linking them to the case. In subsequent raids on homes associated with the defendants, dozens of weapons were seized, including a “zombie knife”, five machetes, two swords, two folding knives and seven other sharp objects. Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, from the Southern Special Crimes Unit, said: “Antonis had come from Greece to have a good time with friends. Tragically, he never returned to his family. The case was particularly complex, due to the lack of CCTV at the scene of the crime and the constant movement of the perpetrators that night. I would like to thank Antonis’ friends who witnessed his brutal murder and returned to the UK to give evidence, as well as the members of the public who came forward and helped to uncover the truth. I am pleased that our efforts have brought justice to Antonis’ family and loved ones.” The five convicted – Amin Alliche, Sofian Alliche, Shian Johnson, Joshua McCorquodale and Alfie Hipple – were unanimously found guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit robbery after an eight-month trial at the Old Bailey. Their sentences are scheduled for Friday, October 3. Source: Sigmalive
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Filenews
Financial differences seem to be behind the kidnapping of two people of Syrian origin. Police arrested seven people from Syria after issuing arrest warrants. Today the arrested are expected to be taken to the Limassol District Court.
A Syrian citizen reported today to the police that his two roommates, also from Syria, disappeared. In fact, he had also expressed suspicions that his two compatriots had been kidnapped.
According to the complaint, a group of Syrians had kidnapped his two roommates and had taken them to a premises outside Limassol where they had tied them up and held them against their will.
Suspicions were raised against a specific person who believed that his victims owed him a sum of money.
After investigations by the Police, the specific person was identified and taken for interrogation.
Interrogated by members of the Limassol TAE, he confessed that he organized the kidnapping. He claimed that his two compatriots and roommates stole an amount of €2,500.
He also revealed that the two men are being held in a warehouse in the Ypsonas area.
Members of the Police immediately went to the scene, where they found the two Syrians tied hand and foot. There were other people in the area, who seem to have taken care of them. The victims were transferred to the Limassol General Hospital for precautionary reasons.
From the examinations, it appears that the first arrested person was the mastermind of the case who organized the kidnapping. The other three arrested, who are roommates with both the victims and the first suspect, were keeping chillies outside the warehouse.
The other three detainees also from Syria were named by the first suspect.
The Police are investigating a case of conspiracy to commit a felony, kidnapping, demanding money with threats of assault and causing actual bodily harm.
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The Famagusta TAE is examining a case of attempted defamation of a public official.
Around 7.15 p.m. yesterday, members of the Police Force stopped a vehicle driven by a 35-year-old British permanent resident of Cyprus, in Ayia Napa. The 35-year-old smelled strongly of alcohol, while he was not cooperating and after attacking and pushing the members of the Police, he tried to escape.
The 35-year-old was arrested for a flagrant offense, while he offered to give a sum of money of €500 to the police officers to let him go.
The suspect was transferred to a Police Station, where he underwent an alcohol test with a final reading of 41μg% instead of 22μg% and after being accused in writing of all the offenses he committed, he was released.
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Yesterday there was a campaign between the hours of 3pm - 12am. of the "Z" team of the Limassol Traffic Police in the Municipality of Polemidia, in Limassol. During the campaign, four motorcycles were seized, one of which was stolen and one car, while 33 out-of-court complaints were made for various traffic offences.
In the first case, a young man who was riding a motorcycle and was not wearing a protective helmet or license plates was signalled, but he developed speed in order to avoid control. At some point on the road he attempted to make a left turn, resulting in the motorcycle he was riding overturning. He tried to escape but was stopped by the members of the "Z" group. As it was established, the driver of the motorcycle was a 19-year-old man who was driving without a driver's license, without a safety certificate, without registration plates, without a protective helmet and with an expired license. Also, a crusher with a small amount of cannabis was found inside the vehicle, while the 19-year-old was found positive in a preliminary drug test.
In the second case, a motorcycle without registration plates was stopped for checking, which was driven by a sixteen-year-old without a driver's license, without insurance, without a license to drive, immobilized, while it was declared as stolen.
In the third case, a 21-year-old man was found violating two red traffic lights. It was also found that he was driving without a driver's license, without insurance, without license plates and without a traffic license.
The examinations are continuing by the Limassol Traffic Police
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The news that the former president of the guild of Turkish Cypriot teachers KTOS and former member of the Board of Directors of the English School, Sener Elçil, is involved in the sale of Greek Cypriot land to the Turkish-Israeli businessman on trial Simon Aykut, who is detained in the Central Prison and is on trial on charges of usurpation, caused great debate in the occupied territories.
According to Turkish Cypriot media, Sener Elçil sold Greek Cypriot land located in occupied Akanthos, to a company of Simon Aykut, for 1,417,500 British pounds.
According to the contract published in the newspaper 'Gıynık', the sale took place in 2021 between Sener Elcil and other members of his family and the construction and real estate company 'Dumika Constuction Ltd', owned by Aykut.
Meanwhile, Sener Elçil, who has spoken in the past of "opportunist capital circles that trade Greek Cypriot properties in the north as loot" and met with President Christodoulides, declared readiness to vouch for one of the five Greek Cypriots arrested in Trikomo and illegally detained by the occupation authorities.
In fact, the same Greek Cypriot is one of those who filed a complaint against Simon Aikiut and the above news complicates the situation even more.
However, information from the Turkish Cypriot media reports that Elçil, who is one of the most conciliatory Turkish Cypriots and a strong supporter of the peace process for a federal solution, allegedly sold another 20-acre plot worth 180,000 pounds, also owned by Greek Cypriots and also to a company in Aykut.
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The investigations of the Limassol Anti-Narcotics Service (YKAN) are in full swing after the arrest of a 23-year-old, who is alleged to be a link in a drug trafficking ring based in Greece and active in Cyprus. The suspect was arrested last Saturday while receiving a package containing about 5 kilograms of cannabis, while the total weight of the drugs seized by the authorities reaches 12 kilograms.
According to information from Filenews, the 23-year-old was under surveillance by members of the Police Department, who intervened at the moment when he was attempting to pick up a package from a branch of a courier company in Limassol. During his interrogation, he admitted that for each package of drugs he received, he received the amount of €500 as a reward.
Investigators estimate that the 23-year-old had been recruited by a member of the ring in Greece, which allegedly set up a well-organized network of sending and receiving drugs, with the suspect acting as an intermediate link between sender and recipients in Cyprus. The suspect was brought before the Limassol District Court, which ordered his 8-day detention for the purpose of investigating the case with his lawyer, Marina Lavithia, not to raise an objection to the request of the Police Department.
During his interrogation, the suspect said that he initially visited a branch of the company to pick up a package, but left because there were enough people. He then went to another branch, where he received a second package – at that moment he was arrested by members of the YKAN, before he had time to return to pick up the first package. He also admitted that he knew about the drug packages although, as he claimed, he was not the one who had arranged their importation.
The 23-year-old claimed that he was acting on the instructions of another person, whom he met in Greece and knows only by his first name. He also mentioned that it was not the first time he had received such a package – according to him, on July 30, 2025, he had received another parcel, which also contained cannabis. He described to investigators how the packages were delivered, confirming that he received €500 for each receipt.
From the investigations that followed, evidence emerged that strengthens the involvement of the suspect. Specifically, during a search of his home in Agios Tychonas, six packets of telephone connections were found. From the analysis of the drug packages, it was found that the phone numbers listed on the recipient's packages were identical to telephone connections found at his home. Mobile phones, a credit card and his real identity were also seized.
On the same day, the Ministry of Transport received information about the existence of a third package in another branch of the same courier company. Its members went to the scene and located a new package, which contained four nylon packages of cannabis with a total gross weight of 4 kg and 570 grams.
Investigations continue at an intensive pace. The authorities are expected to analyze material from closed circuit surveillance of branches and areas where the suspect moved, with the aim of identifying his accomplices in Cyprus and the final recipients of the drugs. At the same time, coordinated actions are being carried out through Interpol, in order to identify both the sender of the drugs in Greece and other members of the ring, which is characterized by the YKAN as a well-established drug import and trafficking ring in Cyprus.
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With fierce criticism of the Police, the Mayor of Polemidia, Andros Theodorou, spoke to Filenews after the latest arson incident in Polemidia Park in the early hours of Sunday. As he stated on our website, "what they did not manage to burn at dawn on Saturday, they achieved on Sunday".
According to what he said, it seems that brainless young people set fire to the park and specifically to the pavilion, resulting in the destruction of its façade and the fire spreading inside the pavilion, causing significant damage. The same scenario was repeated in the early hours of Saturday, with the brainless perpetrators not being intimidated and returning the next day, putting their plan into practice again, this time successfully.
According to the Mayor, yesterday's findings of the Police and the Fire Brigade, after on-site examinations, speak of a clear case of arson, while their action has been recorded by closed circuits.
"MMAD is only for Nicosia"
Mr. Theodorou stressed that "for some time, knowing the upsurge in delinquency recorded in our municipality, we had requested – after a meeting with the Minister of Justice – that there be a platoon of the MMAD in Limassol. Not only for Polemidia, but also for areas such as Agia Fyla and Ypsonas, where there is an increase in juvenile delinquency and crime. We even offered to provide free accommodation next to the Polemidia Police Station to ease the situation. Unfortunately, until yesterday, we did not receive any response from the Minister. The Chief told us that the matter is being examined. But I believe that nothing will be done. MMAD is a privilege of Nicosia – it is not for the other districts."
Mr. Theodorou did not hide his indignation at the stagnation of the issue, reminding that the proposal for the descent of a platoon of the MMAD in Limassol was submitted three months ago. "That was three months ago. Nevertheless, to date we have not received any response. Last Friday, the Chief of Police informed us that the issue is being examined, whether it can be implemented. All this, at a time when delinquency is escalating dangerously," he said.
"The responsibility does not lie with the local authorities"
The Mayor clarifies that the responsibility no longer lies with the local authorities. The problem has taken on dimensions that exceed the limits of a municipal council, and immediate intervention by the state is required.
"The responsibility is no longer with the local authorities. What I want to emphasize is that most of the citizens of Polemidia are terrified. Every day I receive messages about vandalism in homes, parks and public places. The situation has escaped. Unfortunately, we are talking about a gang of juvenile offenders who act undisturbed – with motorcycles, hoods and no respect. The next step will be to mourn victims – and then, as always, everyone will be looking for who is to blame."
As he complained, even half an hour ago, people with hoods and motorcycles were moving in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Cross, causing nuisance in the neighbourhood – a phenomenon that, as he emphasizes, is repeated almost daily.
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Four persons, three women and one man, were placed under eight-day detention after they were found trying to travel with stolen and fake passports from the port of Limassol to Piraeus.
As reported by the Limassol TAE, the incident occurred on Sunday, during passport control on the ship of the Limassol – Piraeus ferry connection. The four suspects presented European passports, which were examined by the authorities.
The investigations found that in three of the passports the photos had been replaced, while the fourth was fake.
The four were arrested on the spot and brought before a District Court, which issued a detention order for eight days.
They face charges of impersonation, forgery and circulation of a false document, according to the Police.
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Cyprus Mail
Lawsuits were threatened in the north over the weekend over an alleged “campaign aimed at discrediting” a man who stood as a defence witness in the case of the five Greek Cypriots who had been arrested on suspicion of espionage.
The suits were threatened after news website Giynik reported on Saturday that former Cyprus Turkish teachers’ trade union secretary-general Sener Elcil, who had been something of a protagonist at court proceedings on Thursday, Friday, and the early hours of Saturday morning, had sold property to Israeli developer Simon Aykut.
Aykut was arrested by the Republic of Cyprus’ authorities last year and remains in custody, standing accused of developing and selling €43 million worth of property on Greek Cypriot land in the north.
Giynik alleged that Elcil had sold Aykut around £1.4 million (€1.6m) worth of land near the Famagusta district village of Akanthou in 2021, and that the land in question had belonged to Greek Cypriots before 1974.
Elcil on Sunday issued a response, saying that he is one of seven members of his family who owned a share in the land, and that he had “inherited [it] from previous generations”.
He described the report in Giynik as an “unfounded campaign aimed at discrediting” him.
“These baseless attacks clearly show that those who thrive on blood, tears, and profit are disturbed by my solidarity … I believe that this administration, which is a subordinate administration of Turkey in the north of the island, wants to perpetuate its profiteering system by pitting property owners against each other for its own political and financial gain, and to leave the Cyprus problem unsolved,” he said.
He added that the report published by Giynik was “completely full of lies, insults, and slander”, and that he intended to “initiate the necessary legal process”.
Elcil had offered himself as a guarantor to facilitate the bail of one of the arrested Greek Cypriots in Trikomo on Thursday, as well as in the subsequent military court case in northern Nicosia on Friday and in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Two Greek Cypriots appeared in court in Trikomo on Thursday – a 68-year-old man and the 60-year-old woman. They stand accused of privacy violations, trespassing, and breaching the peace.
Newspaper Yeni Duzen reported that Elcil and Teyfik Yoldas, a former leader of Dau-Bir-Sen, a trade union for staff at Famagusta’s Eastern Mediterranean University, had offered themselves as guarantors, were found not to be “reputable”.
As such, the pair were remanded in custody for three months and may now remain in custody until the end of October, pending the start of a trial.
Additionally, it was reported that one of the prosecution lawyers said across the courtroom to Elcil that “you were set up to be here”, and that Elcil replied, “this whole case is a set up!”
At the conclusion of the day’s proceedings, Elcil told the court that he would be willing to surrender his car as collateral to allow one of the two arrestees to be released on bail.
He said that while he knew neither suspect, he believed that they are “honest people”.
On Friday, he was in court once again, as all five arrested Greek Cypriots – the two who appeared in court in Trikomo as well as two men, aged 66 years old and 60 years old, and a woman aged 63 years old – stood accused of having entered the north illegally.
The Turkish Cypriot police had alleged that one of the five passed through the Strovilia crossing point near Famagusta without presenting their identity card, with the other four accused of aiding and abetting them.
Newspaper Ozgur Gazete’s editor-in-chief said after proceedings ended in the early hours of Saturday morning that Elcil had once again spoken up on the five’s behalf.
“I think they are innocent. They would not run away from justice. I do not know them, but I have close friends in the south who do,” he is quoted as saying. He also reportedly offered a guarantee of £25,000 (€28,692) for one of the five to be released on bail.
He was then asked how he could guarantee that the five will not simply escape back to the Republic and never return.
“There are 45,000 Turkish soldiers and 3,000 policemen here. It is not my job to man the border, the Turkish army can do that,” he said, according to Barut.
The five were all remanded for 13 days, though judge Dilsah Karayel did say that Elcil and the other Turkish Cypriots who offered themselves as guarantors were “unwavering” and had “spoken sincerely”.
She added that there was “no evidence” that they could have been set up or bribed into offering themselves as guarantors for the Greek Cypriots, and that they had “conveyed their sincere opinions” to the court.
However, she said, for the offer of a guarantee to be accepted by the court, there must be a “direct organic bond between a suspect and a guarantor”, and given that the Turkish Cypriots who had offered themselves as guarantors had admitted in court that they had no prior personal relationship with the suspects, there was no such bond between them.
