Pafos Press 4 March 2026
A new case of online investment fraud is being investigated by the Police in the Paphos district, following a complaint filed yesterday by a 66-year-old man at the Paphos Investment and Financial Services Authority.
According to the 66-year-old's complaint, unknown persons contacted him via various online communication platforms between May and November 2025 and persuaded him to make alleged investments in cryptocurrencies.
Following the instructions of the suspects, the 66-year-old transferred, via bank transfers, an amount of money amounting to €89,816 to a cryptocurrency platform, where the suspects had created an account for him.
After the 66-year-old lost all communication with the suspects in November, as well as any access to the accounts they had created for him, he suspected that he had been defrauded.
The case is being investigated by the Economic Crime Investigation Office of the Paphos Financial Crimes Investigation Department.
The Police, on the occasion of this new fraud complaint, advise the public to be careful when making any transactions and investments via the internet. The public is advised to cooperate only with recognized companies and approved advisors for any financial investments.
It is noted that bank account and bank card details, passwords to online accounts and email accounts, as well as other personal data, must be protected and never disclosed to any persons.
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Filenews
The presence and action of the Police last night was intense, throughout Cyprus, with organized patrols in key points of urban areas, with the aim of preventing serious criminal acts, ensuring public order and increasing the sense of security of the public.
As a result of the preventive policing operations, four persons were arrested for various offenses, such as, among others, illegal possession of drugs, illegal stay on the territory of the Republic, and pending court fine warrants.
As part of these operations, during the night, 368 vehicles were stopped for inspection and 465 persons on board were checked. At the same time, 28 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency.
During traffic checks carried out, 107 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while eight investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged. Of the complaints made, the 52 complaints of drivers for speed limit violations stand out. As part of the police examinations, seven vehicles were detained.
Coordinated policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue daily, with enhanced police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action, in order to protect citizens and ensure public order.
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The Police arrested a 33-year-old man today, as part of an investigation into a case of arson of a car, committed on February 25, in the province of Limassol. The case is being investigated by the TAE of Limassol.
The 33-year-old was arrested by members of the Limassol Police Department, by virtue of a court warrant, shortly after 8.30 this morning. Following his arrest, the 33-year-old was brought before the Limassol District Court for the issuance of a detention order.
A 17-year-old was also brought before the District Court, who was arrested earlier in the morning today, also by virtue of a court warrant, in connection with the arson case.
The Court approved the relevant request of the Police and issued a detention order for the 33-year-old and the 17-year-old, lasting six days, for the purpose of investigating the case.
According to the data under investigation, around 2.40 in the morning on February 25, a fire broke out in a car, owned by a 28-year-old woman, while it was parked in a vehicle parking lot, in an apartment building in the Limassol district. The fire completely destroyed the car, while the walls of the apartment building were damaged.
The fire was extinguished by members of the Fire Service, who, in cooperation with members of the Police, conducted examinations at the scene, from which it became clear that the fire in the car had been set maliciously.
As part of the investigation of the case, on February 25, another person, a 32-year-old man, was arrested and detained for six days. He was released from custody yesterday, pending the completion of the police examinations.
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The investigations of the Police and the Fire Service have been underway since the morning in relation to a new criminal act against two brothers, owners of a property for the sale of luxury vehicles in the area of Amathus.
From the examinations so far, it was found that the perpetrators doused one of the two vehicles parked in the courtyard with flammable material and then the fire spread to the outside of the premises.
The fire completely destroyed the two vehicles that were outside, while six other vehicles inside were damaged.
According to the first estimates, the value of the damage far exceeds €100,000.
Information from Filenews states that the two businessmen had been attacked with a Molotov cocktail on Green Monday at a second premises selling vehicles they had in the same area.
The scene remains cordoned off, while further examinations are expected to collect evidence.
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More than ten million detonators and 314.000 ammunition, which were to be loaded onto a passenger ship bound for Greece and allegedly destined for Cyprus, which had been declared to customs as "miscellaneous goods" were seized in the port of Ancona.
As reported by the Italian news agency ANSA (Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata), the Guardia di Finanza (Italian financial police), which carried out the "Clean Shot" operation in collaboration with the Customs and Monopolies Service, located the material. It belonged to two Italian companies, was officially destined for Cyprus and was transported in a truck whose driver had given false information when the travel document was issued.
According to her, the transport of this type of cargo on a passenger ship violates the rules of maritime safety, which require, due to the quantity and nature of the explosives, special land routes with specific permits from the prefecture.
The seizure was carried out after a preventive analysis of trade flows, which revealed anomalies on the Italy-Greece route. Detonators, highly sensitive components that can be triggered by impact or heat exposure, could cause catastrophic consequences on the ship.
The carrier was reported for illegal possession and transportation of ammunition and explosives and for using forged documents.
The Guardia di Finanza (GdF) is a special Italian militarized security force, subordinate to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which acts as Italy's financial police. It is responsible for combating tax evasion, smuggling, money laundering, financial crimes and drug trafficking.
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The two foreigners arrested as suspects in an investigated case involving terrorism allegations are being brought to Court again today.
The investigations of the investigators of the TAE Headquarters have progressed and several elements seem to emerge that need further investigation and processing.
The evidence came to light from the "opening" of the telephone devices found in the possession of the two persons, an Azeri and his Estonian partner.
Among the evidence found on their electronic devices are dialogues on various platforms with persons who are probably abroad and are related to the reasons why they came to Cyprus.
Also, there is a lot of photographic material and it is being examined whether it comes from the areas they photographed and whether there are sensitive points among them.
In addition to the investigations, in order to see whether they are related to terrorism, the possibility that this case has something to do with the espionage case investigated last June with the arrest of another Azeri, who was photographing the British base in Akrotiri, while according to the Police, he had also visited the Andreas Papandreou air base.
According to information from "F", there seems to be some common elements with the two cases and examinations are being carried out to see if the same persons are behind it.
It is noted that the case that was revealed last year is pending before the courts. A similar terrorism case involving an Azeri was investigated in Greece at the same time last year.
The two arrested last Friday, while they were going from Paphos to Larnaca last Wednesday, noticed a vehicle following them and called the Police.
The information about their arrival in Cyprus and their purpose had been given by foreign services and both were allegedly monitoring Israeli interests.
The Police are expected to present the two suspects again today before the Nicosia District Court, to request the renewal of their detention order, as there seems to be much more left to be examined.
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The Permanent Criminal Courts of Limassol and Larnaca imposed prison sentences on three men aged 32, 31 and 26, after the trial of two separate drug trafficking cases.
The Limassol Permanent Criminal Court sentenced the 32-year-old to nine years in prison and the 26-year-old to three and a half years, while the Larnaca Permanent Criminal Court sentenced the 31-year-old to six years in prison.
The first case concerns the discovery and seizure of approximately nine kilograms of cannabis, 52 grams of cocaine, 1.001 firecrackers and other sparklers, during a police operation by YKAN at a residence in Limassol on August 3, 2024. The 32-year-old was arrested on the same day, while as part of the investigation, the 26-year-old was also arrested on October 30, 2024.
Three more people, aged 26 and 30, were arrested for the same case, while the Police continue to search for two men aged 27 and 36.
The second case concerns the discovery of a quantity of cannabis weighing one kilogram and 72 grams in the luggage of the 31-year-old, upon his arrival at Larnaca airport from abroad on October 3, 2025. The inspection was carried out by officials of the Customs Department, at the suggestion of members of YKAN, in the context of coordinated actions to prevent the import of drugs into Cyprus.
In a subsequent search of the 31-year-old's home, an additional amount of cannabis resin weighing 57 grams was found and confiscated. The two cases were investigated by the provincial echelons of YKAN in Limassol and Larnaca.
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In the early hours of 2/3/2026, officials of the Customs Department at the Ledra Street crossing point, carried out a check on a passing pedestrian woman of Romanian nationality, who has occupied the Department many times in the past with smuggling of tobacco products from the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus.
During the inspection, she was found to be carrying 10 boxes of 200 cigarettes each and packages of tobacco for a rolled cigarette with a total weight of 600 grams, which did not bear markings for the harmful health in the Greek and Turkish languages, indicating that they are duty-free. The person involved was arrested for flagrante delicto, while the tobacco products in question were confiscated. She was later released, after her proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offenses with the payment of an amount of €800 was accepted.
Today 3/3/2026, officials of the Customs Department at the Kato Pyrgos crossing point, carried out an inspection of a vehicle driven by a person with Cypriot citizenship. During the check, he was found to be carrying 60 liters of oil which were confiscated. Later, after his proposal for an out-of-court settlement of the offense with the payment of an amount of €200 was accepted, he was allowed to pass through the crossing point to the free areas.
Also today 3/3/2026, officials of the Customs Department at the Agios Dometios crossing point, in cooperation with members of the Police, stopped a vehicle driven by a Greek Cypriot with his 21-year-old son as a passenger. During the check, 4 grams of cocaine, 2 grams of cannabis and 2 crushers were found in a waist bag worn by the 21-year-old. YKAN was immediately notified, members of which went to the place where the drugs were handed over to them and those involved for the continuation of the investigation due to competence.
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On trial for an attempted murder case in Larnaca and while he was being treated at the Athamassa Hospital instead of being held in the Central Prison and held accountable before justice, he "escaped" and found himself under strange conditions in his homeland!
Already, in fact, the Cyprus Police, according to two independent information sources, is investigating the case. This was preceded by instructions from the Attorney General's office at the end of February.
Besides, a competent person told "F" that the Minister of Justice, Kostas Fytiris, recently discussed the issue with the Chief of Police, Themistos Arnaoutis, receiving assurances that the issue is being handled accordingly.
The background
The case challenges human intelligence and undoubtedly falls within the limits of scandal. The 32-year-old Romanian citizen on November 24 carried out an assassination attempt against his 49-year-old Israeli employer in a house under construction opposite the refugee settlement in Larnaca.
The suspect managed to stab the 49-year-old in the neck, before his colleagues restrained him in the workplace. A little later he was arrested by the Police.
Subsequently, a case was registered against him and the Larnaca District Court referred the case for a direct trial before a Criminal Court. At the same time, the Court ordered him to be detained as a prisoner in the Central Prison until February 3, when the first appearance before the Criminal Court was set.
However, in the intervening year, a psychiatric hospitalization order was issued for the 32-year-old undertrial and he was transferred to the Athalassa Hospital. Thus, on 3/2 he did not appear at the Criminal Court. Consequently, a representative of the Legal Service asked the Court to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Nevertheless, the issued warrant was not executed by the Police and - for reasons that are being investigated and under strange circumstances - the defendant after first being discharged from the Athalassa Hospital found himself in his homeland.
Under the radar
Simply put, the 32-year-old went under the radar of at least five services of the Republic of Cyprus and from being on trial and accused of a felony, he managed to stay free and travel to Romania.
According to secure information from "F", on February 27, a letter was sent by the Office of the Attorney General to the Chief of Police, Themistos Arnaoutis, from whom an investigation was requested into the exact circumstances under which this development occurred.
Through this letter, as we are validly informed, the Police are asked to investigate why the issued arrest warrant was not executed and how the transfer of the 32-year-old out of the Republic of Cyprus was allowed, while he was on trial in the Central Prison for a serious case.
However, information tells us that competent services/departments had already been informed about the issuance of an arrest warrant against the 32-year-old, as a result of which serious questions arise about the negligence shown. "F" is able to know relevant facts.
Six sections
In our effort to get answers, we have already contacted the Legal Service, the Cyprus Police, the State Health Services Organization (Mental Health Services), the Central Prisons and the Ministry of Justice.
The aim is to find out where the investigations are and to ascertain whether the accused has been located or if actions have been taken to locate him and answer him to justice. We are waiting for the positions of competent persons. In the context of the investigation, the role of the Protocol is also expected to be checked.
On November 24, the attempted murder
- His employer asked him to go to work and he allegedly showed up with a knife
The assassination attempt took place on the afternoon of November 24 on Raphael Santi Street, opposite the refugee settlement of Tsiakkilero.
The alleged perpetrator was the 32-year-old, while the victim of the attack was the latter's employer, a 49-year-old Israeli.
The latter asked his employee to come to work in a building under construction, to which he had not presented himself for two days. When, in fact, the 49-year-old informed him by text message that if he did not come to work, he would have to submit his resignation, the 32-year-old was outraged.
He allegedly appeared holding a knife in the area where construction work was being carried out, in which other colleagues were also present. Then, according to the testimonies, he attacked his employer and managed to injure him in the neck.
The other employees, according to the testimonies collected by the Police, reacted immediately and managed to immobilize the perpetrator, while an ambulance was notified to transport the 49-year-old to Larnaca General Hospital.
Members of the Police immediately arrived at the scene, who handcuffed the 32-year-old, who was evaluated by a government psychiatrist the same night.
It did not inspire concern
The injured man, who was being treated at the Larnaca General Hospital during the period in question, escaped the danger. The information from the treating doctors at the Cyprus Police stated that the health condition of the 49-year-old did not inspire concern.
Well tied
The case was considered well bound based on what had become known at the time. The Police had intervened in a relatively short period of time. Its members had rushed to the spot, where, among other evidence, the knife with which the 32-year-old had injured his employer had been found.
Statements had been taken from the eyewitnesses who are in the building under construction, as well as from the 49-year-old employer of the accused.
