Filenews 12 February 2026
A serious case of illegal sale of Turkish Cypriot land is being investigated by the investigators of the TAE Limassol, who proceeded to arrest a 66-year-old former community leader. This is a plot that, under the law, is not allowed to be sold, leased, assigned or granted to a third party by its lessee. However, according to a couple complaint, the suspect allegedly received tens of thousands of euros, claiming that he could transfer it to them.
The 66-year-old is being investigated for offenses involving fraudulent transactions in property belonging to another, extortion of a sum of money with false representations, as well as money laundering. The offenses under investigation were allegedly committed during the period 2020 and February 2026.
According to a complaint filed a few days ago by a couple from Limassol, the suspect had given them part of the Turkish Cypriot piece of land several years ago, in order for the husband to use it to place tools.
In 2020, when the 66-year-old held the position of community leader, he allegedly informed the couple that he intended to sell the plot and that they needed to move the items they had placed in it. As stated in the complaint, the couple offered to buy the piece for the amount of €20.000, which they paid in cash in two installments.
However, the suspect did not take any action to transfer. According to the complainants, in 2023 they gave him an additional €12.000 in cash. As they claimed, they went to the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service, where the suspect submitted a letter to grant the plot to the couple.
In September 2025, the complainants received a letter from the Turkish Cypriot Property Management Service, informing them that their application would not be examined, as the 66-year-old, in a later letter, withdrew his consent to the concession of the agricultural land to them. Then they complained, claiming that the 66-year-old appropriated the amount of €32.000.
According to the facts, from the examinations that followed and from the testimony of an official of the Turkish Cypriot Property Service, it was found that, after the request for the transfer of the piece to the couple, a reply letter had been sent to them, with a notification to the suspect, informing them that their request could not be satisfied and that a publication on the Service's website had to be preceded. In addition, further investigation revealed that in July 2025, the 66-year-old sent a letter to the Turkish Cypriot Property Service, requesting the revocation of the application he had submitted in March 2023 to grant the lot to the couple.
It is noted that, according to the Turkish Cypriot Property Service, under no circumstances is the lessee allowed to sell Turkish Cypriot land, nor to lease it, assign it or grant a license to use it to a third party, either for the whole or for part of the plot. During the investigation of the complaint, it was also found that in December 2025, the registered tenant of the plot was changed to a company, in which the suspect is one of the shareholders.
After his arrest on Tuesday night, the 66-year-old said that "this is not the case" and refused to testify without the presence of his lawyer. On Wednesday morning, he was brought before the Limassol District Court, which issued a five-day detention order for the purpose of investigating the case.
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The investigations of the Limassol Police Department are underway into the unprecedented case brought to light by Filenews and concerns the administration of sedative pills to a minor by his 41-year-old mother.
As Filenews was the first to write, the mother allegedly gave sedatives to her 7-year-old child and consumed the same drugs herself. The two were found unconscious by the 41-year-old's husband and father of the child and were immediately transferred to a private hospital in the city, where doctors managed to revive them.
According to newer information, the Limassol Police Department continues the investigations and is taking statements to fully establish the circumstances under which the incident occurred. The case is being investigated as attempted murder against the 41-year-old.
The 7-year-old child, as our website is informed, has already been discharged, as his health condition was deemed out of danger. The mother, however, is being treated at Athalassa Hospital after a court order, after being examined by a government psychiatrist, who deemed her hospitalization necessary.
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The Police carried out targeted preventive operations on the night of Wednesday 11/02, in all provinces, with organized patrols at key points in urban areas. The aim was to prevent serious criminal acts, ensure public order and strengthen the sense of security of citizens.
Two persons were arrested as part of the operations. Specifically, in the province of Limassol, a person was arrested in connection with a case of demanding money with threats and theft from a person, while in the province of Famagusta, a person was arrested for an investigated case of violence in the family.
During the inspections, 227 vehicles were stopped and 297 persons were checked, while 29 inspections were carried out in premises to deal with phenomena of delinquency.
In traffic checks, 64 violations were reported, of which 45 were related to exceeding the speed limit. At the same time, ten investigated cases of traffic violations emerged and nine vehicles were detained.
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An alarm was sounded in the province of Nicosia when a fire broke out in cars of the Game Service in Evrychou.
According to information from the Police, around 1.25 after midnight, a fire broke out in vehicles of the Game Service, which were parked in a vehicle parking lot, of the Evrychou Community Council.
The scene was visited by members of the Police for examinations. Members of the Fire Service extinguished the fire, which caused damage to three vehicles of the Game Service, one of which is a Fire Truck.
The scene was cordoned off for tests in the morning to determine the causes of the fire.
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The Police yesterday arrested a 20-year-old man, who was wanted in connection with an investigated case of demanding money with threats and theft, offenses committed on February 08, in the province of Limassol. The case is being investigated by the Limassol Police Department, in collaboration with the Limassol Traffic Department.
According to the data under investigation, around 7.30 in the evening of February 08, while a 24-year-old food delivery man was driving his motorcycle on a road in the Ypsonas area, under circumstances that are being investigated, he collided with the motorcycle driven by another passing driver.
After the collision, the second motorcyclist allegedly attacked the 24-year-old and demanded money, allegedly as compensation for the damage suffered by his motorcycle, while other persons arrived at the scene, who also allegedly attacked the 24-year-old and demanded that he give money to the other motorcyclist.
The suspects then allegedly stole the 24-year-old's mobile phone and a sum of money and fled.
The scene was visited by members of the Police for examinations, while the 24-year-old was transported by ambulance to a hospital, where he received medical examinations and treatment and was discharged the same night.
As part of the investigation of the case, yesterday, February 11, 2026, the Police released the photos of five persons, with the aim of collecting information that could lead to their location or the identification of their details, which remained unknown.
One of the five wanted persons, whose photo had been released as the photo of Wanted Person No. 1, was located and arrested shortly before 7.30 last night, by virtue of a court warrant, while the examinations to locate the other wanted persons continue.
The TAE Limassol continues the examinations, in cooperation with the Limassol Traffic Department, which is investigating the case of a road collision.
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The Fire Service was called to deal with a fire in the yard of a house in Larnaca yesterday.
According to an official announcement, at 17:12, a call was received and the Larnaca Fire Station of Lieutenant Andreas Papadopoulos responded with two fire trucks.
The fire was brought under control at 17:25, while it was in power tool accumulators, in an open area with rudimentary coverage, in the courtyard of the house.
From the fire and heat, kitchen equipment located in the area was affected, while part of the fence of the house was also damaged.
After an investigation into the causes, the fire appears to have been set maliciously.
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Cy Mail
Two police officers filmed having sex in a service vehicle in the industrial area of Aradippou will not face criminal prosecution, police confirmed on Thursday.
Police said both the criminal and disciplinary investigations have been completed, with the legal service deciding no criminal charges would be filed.
“A disciplinary case has been filed against them with instructions from the legal service,” the police press office affirmed, adding however that both officers remain suspended.
The incident dates back to last June, when a member of the public recorded the officers ‘in flagrante’ on agricultural land near Aradippou and shared the footage online, which quickly went viral.
Police confirmed that one of the officers was on duty at the time and had used a service vehicle to travel to the area.
On the instructions of police chief Themistos Arnaoutis, the suspension of both officers has been extended until the conclusion of the disciplinary process.
The disciplinary committee comprises a senior police officer and two legal service officers.
Police declined to specify the exact charges, saying only that the officers face offences under the disciplinary code.
According to information, both are accused of misconduct, while the on-duty officer also faces a charge of dereliction of duty.
If found guilty, dismissal from the force remains a possible outcome.
Police said the officers have not returned to active duty and remain on leave pending the disciplinary hearing.
