Filenews 18 April 2026
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, burglary and theft, possession of burglary tools, possession of an offensive instrument and carrying knives, violence in the family, and illegal stay on the territory of the Republic.
As part of these operations, during the night, 492 vehicles were stopped for inspection and 632 persons on board were checked. At the same time, 44 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency, from which six (6) complaints emerged.
During traffic checks carried out, 281 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while eleven (11) investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged. As part of the police examinations, six (6) vehicles were detained.
Of the complaints made about traffic violations, 137 complaints for exceeding the speed limit stand out. Also standing out are the 26 complaints about driving under the influence of alcohol, as well as the four (4) cases of driving under the influence of drugs, which arose after preliminary drug tests. For driving under the influence of alcohol, 279 checks were carried out on vehicle drivers, while for driving under the influence of drugs, eight (8) checks were carried out on drivers.
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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A road collision with an involved car driven by a 16-year-old minor, with six other minors, aged 15 to 17, as passengers, is being investigated by the Police in Nicosia.
Half an hour after midnight, last night, while the 16-year-old was driving a car on Kantaras Avenue, in the Palouriotissa area, entering the roundabout with Agios Hilarion Avenue, under circumstances that are being investigated, he lost control of the vehicle, which overturned and crashed into a metal fence, where it stopped.
The scene was visited by members of the Police, while the 16-year-old, as well as the 15-year-old, 15-year-old, 17-year-old and 17-year-old, who were in the vehicle, were taken to the Nicosia General Hospital. The 15-year-old was detained for treatment for precautionary reasons at Makarios Hospital, while the rest received medical examinations and treatment and were discharged.
According to the data under investigation, the car driven by the 16-year-old belongs to a company whose manager is his father. The circumstances under which the 16-year-old gained possession and was driving the vehicle are being investigated.
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An incident of injury to a convict took place on Friday afternoon at the Central Prison.
According to an announcement by the Ministry of Justice. around 7.25 p.m. on Friday, a 22-year-old convict, under circumstances that are being investigated, was attacked by two other inmates, as a result of which he was injured.
As reported, the Prison staff intervened immediately and brought the situation under control, while the injured man was transported without delay by ambulance to the First Aid Department of the Nicosia General Hospital, where, after receiving first aid, he was detained for precautionary reasons.
It is added that the Prison Directorate immediately informed the Police, members of which went to the Central Prisons to investigate the case and take statements.
The Prison Department is fully cooperating with the competent authorities to investigate the incident, while taking all necessary actions within the framework of its responsibilities, the announcement concludes.
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An explosion outside a kiosk in Limassol occurred around 1:00 in the early hours of Saturday (18/04), which caused extensive damage.
From the preliminary examinations, it appears that the explosion is due to the detonation of an improvised explosive object, with a low-power explosive.
The scene was cordoned off and examinations will continue this morning.
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A new case of electronic fraud is being investigated by the Police, in Limassol, following a relevant complaint by a company manager. According to the complaint, a large number of cryptocurrencies appear to have been stolen from the company's account.
According to the complaint, on April 16, 2026, a message was sent electronically to the company's employees, inviting them to follow a specific electronic link.
An employee of the company allegedly followed this link, as a result of which uncontrolled transfers of cryptocurrencies from the company's wallet to unknown wallets began to take place.
A total of 176,580 cryptocurrencies appear to have been transferred from the company's wallet.
The Financial Crime Investigation Office of the TAE Limassol is investigating the case.
On the occasion of this case, the Police reminds the public to always be careful on the internet and not to follow suspicious or unknown electronic links before ascertaining their origin.
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On 15/4/2026, officials of the Customs Department, who are stationed at the Mail Sorting Center (KEDA) in Latsia, carried out an inspection of a suspicious parcel originating in the USA and consignee a 23-year-old Greek Cypriot, who was arrested about a month ago for receiving another parcel, which contained cannabis. Upon physical inspection of the new parcel, which was declared to contain plastic golf practice balls, it was found to contain a paper cylinder sealed airtight with two nylon bags, inside which 376g of green dry plant matter (hemp) was found.
The package with its contents was confiscated and YKAN was immediately notified, members of which went to the area to receive and deliver it to the recipient, who was located and arrested following a court warrant. The case is being further handled and investigated by YKAN (Nicosia Unit), due to competence.
On 16/4/2026, within the framework of the coordinated actions of the Customs Department and YKAN to combat the illegal trafficking, import and transport of narcotic drugs and/or other psychotropic substances from and to the Republic of Cyprus, officials of the Customs Department in collaboration with members of YKAN, went to a warehouse of a transport company in Limassol, where they proceeded to confiscate2 cartons containing 690 pieces of cannabinoid products (including relaxation creams and capsules, face and body creams, patches and chocolates), which contained cannabis, cannabidiol (CBN), and/or cannabidiol (CBD), and/or cannabigerol (CBG), which according to the Pharmaceutical Services are prohibited from placing on the Cypriot market. The goods in question were part of a grouped cargo transported from Greece and its inspection was decided following suspicions raised following the relevant check of the accompanying documents submitted to the Customs Department. Later that day, members of YKAN following a court warrant proceeded to arrest the 58-year-old importer of the goods.
Also on 16/4/2026, within the framework of the coordinated actions of the Customs Department and YKAN to combat the illegal trafficking, import and transport of narcotic substances to and from the Republic of Cyprus, officials of the Customs Department at the air cargo depot at Larnaca Airport, in the presence of members of YKAN, selected for inspection a package of a courier company originating in the USA and the declared contents of a car part. During the inspection of the package, it was found to contain 4 nylon airtight packages with a gross weight of about 3 kg containing green dry plant matter (cannabis). The package was confiscated and handed over to the members of YKAN for further handling. On 17/4/2026, a person was arrested, who presented himself as the recipient of the package. The case is being further handled and investigated by YKAN (Larnaca Unit), due to competence.
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The Court of Appeal rejected the main allegations of driver negligence in a traffic accident case involving a collision between a vehicle and a horse, upholding the first-instance finding that the accident was essentially unavoidable under the circumstances, while at the same time partially reversing the decision only in terms of the costs of the third-party proceedings.
The decision, dated April 9, 2026, concerns two joined appeals that arose from a compensation lawsuit after a traffic accident in 2011 on the Platres-Erimi road. The plaintiff, then 17 years old and a passenger in a vehicle driven by a friend, was injured when the car collided with a horse that suddenly entered the lane.
The court of first instance had rejected the lawsuit, ruling that the driver did not show negligence, as the horse appeared at a distance of about 20 meters, moving head-on towards the vehicle, leaving no real room for reaction. Despite the fact that the speed of the vehicle exceeded 50 kilometers per hour, it was judged that this was not in itself the cause of the accident.
The plaintiff challenged the decision, arguing that the accident could have been avoided and that the driver's speed was a determining factor. However, the Court of Appeal held that, on the basis of the findings that had not been challenged, it was not proven that the driver breached the duty of care that an average prudent driver must show.
In its judgment, the Court underlined that the sudden appearance of a horse on the road does not constitute a foreseeable danger and that the driver's actions must be assessed in the light of the "agony of the moment". He also noted that his choice to turn the steering wheel to the right was a reaction to pressure conditions and cannot be judged in retrospect by strict criteria.
The Court of Appeal also rejected the claim that speed contributed to the accident, pointing out that there was insufficient evidence or expertise to establish a causal link between speed and collision. As mentioned, exceeding the speed limit does not automatically imply negligence without a combination of other factors.
At the same time, the defendants' appeal regarding the ownership of the horse was also rejected, as the Court agreed that there was insufficient testimony to prove that the third party was the owner of the animal. The relevant testimony was judged weak and based on speculation.
However, the Court of Appeal differed on the issue of the costs of third-party proceedings. It held that the court of first instance wrongly awarded those costs to the applicant, without sufficient reasoning, despite the fact that the defendants were the unsuccessful parties in that procedure. The relevant part of the judgment was annulled and ordered that the defendants pay the costs of the third party.
As to the remainder, all the appeals and the cross-appeal were dismissed. The Court held that, since the main part of the claims was unsuccessful, each party would bear its own costs for the proceedings before the Court of Appeal.
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The Police arrested a 37-year-old woman yesterday, to facilitate investigations into an investigated case of burglary and theft, illegal possession of burglary tools and property, carrying a knife and illegal possession of an offensive instrument.
Specifically, around 10.40 a.m. yesterday, a 57-year-old man informed the Police about an ongoing burglary in a warehouse he maintains in an area in Geroskipou, in the province of Paphos. Members of the Police immediately went to the scene, where they located the complainant, who reported that he had spotted a woman inside the warehouse.
At the same time, this woman was seen getting into a car and trying to leave the area. The police stopped the vehicle and during the investigation that followed, various tools, a knife, a wooden bat and an electronic tablet were found, for which no sufficient explanations were given as to how they came into her possession.
As a result, the woman, aged 37, was arrested for the spontaneous offenses of illegal possession of property, burglary tools and an offensive instrument and carrying a knife. An arrest warrant was later issued against her, under which she was arrested and taken into custody to facilitate investigations. This morning, the 37-year-old was brought before the Paphos District Court, which issued a four-day detention order against her.
As for the warehouse, according to the complainant, various items were stolen from it, including tools and cables.
The Paphos Police Department is investigating the case.
