Filenews 19 November 2025 - by Dora Christodoulou
The latest incident in the community of Timi in the province of Paphos, with the voluntary replacement of car wipers and the episode that followed, seems to have frightened the foreigners who acted in this way and have disappeared from the streets in recent days.
This was reported yesterday to Filenews by a police source, estimating that the fact that the incident of Timi was accompanied by other criminal acts, such as the beating and serious injury of a citizen, contributed to stopping the unaccountable action of these people. He warned, however, that it is only a matter of time before this activity reappears on the streets and other places, as soon as the members of the ring feel that the mobilization to locate them has decreased.
Police and local authorities have before them quite a few reports about the problem created by foreigners with their specific practice, however in most cases, apart from the reports, the citizens have not made complaints so that the Police can intervene.
We remind you that the problem came to the surface due to the seriousness of the last incident, when a citizen ended up beaten at the Nicosia General Hospital and underwent surgery. Foreigners changed the windshield wipers that day, without her permission and despite the protests of the owner of the vehicle, demanding payment for the replacement. The woman refused, calling on them to put back the wipers they replaced and when an acquaintance of the woman intervened to support her, the perpetrators beat him severely, as a result of which he was transferred and underwent surgery at the Nicosia General Hospital.
The phenomenon of astute people changing car wipers without asking for their drivers' permission and then asking for money for the new blades they installed, is common in various areas, not only in Paphos, but also throughout Cyprus, police sources told Filenews. In the Paphos Police Department, however, they added, there are no other complaints other than this one, only informative reports from citizens and information.
Incidents of foreigners approaching car drivers trying to catch them off guard and change their wipers, then demanding money, the same sources said, were reported in previous months mainly outside supermarkets, malls and other commercial businesses where there is a lot of traffic. In some cases, he told us, these foreigners asked the drivers before proceeding with the replacement, in others, however, they proceeded with the move completely unexpectedly and without the approval of the vehicle owners.
