Pafos Live 26 August 2026
A fire broke out at dawn in a souvlaki restaurant in the center of the community of Chloraka.
According to the fire service, at 03:03, a call was received for a fire in a ground floor catering establishment in the community of Chloraka.
The Paphos Fire Station responded with two fire trucks and the fire was brought under control at 03:25.
From the fire and heat, the premises and part of its equipment were extensively damaged.
The causes of the fire are being investigated, without ruling out the possibility of arson.
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Regarding a case of robbery and assault causing actual bodily harm, which was committed on 18/08/2026 in Paphos, the testimony of a fourth person aged 18 was secured, who was arrested around 2.30 p.m. yesterday. The other three persons arrested in the same case are still in custody to facilitate investigations.
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The Police arrested four persons yesterday, in connection with a case of arson of three vehicles, which was committed recently in the early hours in the province of Nicosia.
As part of the investigation of the case, arrest warrants were obtained against four persons. They are two 20-year-olds, a 21-year-old and a 24-year-old.
The suspects were arrested after a coordinated operation by members of the Nicosia TAE and the offenses of conspiracy to commit a felony and arson are being investigated against them.
The arrested are expected to appear before the Nicosia District Court today, for the purpose of issuing a detention order.
The Serious Crime and Burglary Unit of the Nicosia Police Department continues the examinations.
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A quantity of cannabis, with a total gross weight of about two kilograms, was located and confiscated yesterday, as part of the actions of the Anti-Drug Service, to identify and seize illegal drugs imported and distributed in Cyprus.
After evaluating information, members of YKAN went to a courier company in Nicosia, where it had arrived from the external package, which contained a quantity of cannabis with a total gross weight of about two kilograms.
To receive the package, a 20-year-old man presented himself, who was arrested for flagrante delicto. In a subsequent body search, a quantity of cannabis, weighing about two grams, was found in his possession.
The 20-year-old is expected to appear today before the Nicosia District Court, where his detention is expected to be requested.
YKAN (Nicosia Unit) continues the examinations.
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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 police operations, six persons were arrested for various offenses, such as exceeding the speed limit (107 kph instead of 50), non-appearance in Court, illegal stay on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, illegal possession of an offensive instrument, etc.
As part of these operations, 456 drivers and 130 passengers were stopped and checked during the night. At the same time, 53 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency, where six complaints emerged.
During traffic checks carried out, 309 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while 16 investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged.
Of the complaints made, 93 complaints from drivers for exceeding the speed limit stand out, while as part of the police examinations, 12 vehicles were detained.
123 alcohol tests were carried out, from which two complaints emerged, while one case of driving under the influence of drugs also emerged, after a preliminary drug test.
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From the report of the first hunting trip of the summer season, a case stands out that resulted in a total fine of €6,180 being imposed on two people.
These are two hunters from Nicosia, who were spotted by officials of the Game Service hunting illegally in the community of Miliou in the Paphos district.
According to what emerges, the two persons were hunting on Sunday morning in a prohibited area and very close to houses. The weapons they used belonged to one of the two persons.
As we are informed, when they were located later in the afternoon, one of the two had 10 pigeons as prey, for which an additional out-of-court fine was imposed.
One person was fined a total of €3,000 and the other €3,180. More specifically, both were fined €2,000 for hunting in a restricted area, while they were also fined €1,000 for illegally transporting shotguns.
The sum of the fine in the second fine also includes €180 for the 10 pigeons he had hunted. We remind you that the legislation states that a fine of €20 is imposed "for each bird more than one".
According to official data provided yesterday by the Cyprus Police, he made 12 out-of-court complaints. A total of 300 inspections were carried out throughout Cyprus, according to the relevant announcement.
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New data emerge around the 43-year-old Russian Alexei Sokpa, who is wanted by the Greek authorities for the case of the murder of Vangelis Zampounis in Neos Kosmos, in January 2024. Sokpa, known according to the protothema.gr by the nickname "Chinese", was located and arrested in the area of Kyrenia, in the Occupied Territories, bringing to the fore his presence in Cyprus.
The case is also of particular interest for Cyprus, as the 43-year-old reportedly admitted that last July he illegally crossed from the occupied territories to the free areas and then returned, following the same route through the area of occupied Tymbou, near Nicosia. So far, it has not been clarified how long he remained in the free areas of Cyprus, where he moved, with whom he met and what was the purpose of his presence.
The 43-year-old was detained because it was found that he lived in the occupied territories without a permit. As reported before the so-called Kyrenia district court, his residence permit had expired on July 31, 2025 and since then he has been illegally in the occupied area for 389 days.
Offenses related to illegal stay, entry into a military area and illegal passage to free areas are being investigated against him. He was detained for three days, in order to investigate his movements and the possibility of his involvement in other offenses.
His details are made public
EL.AS. had released his details and photo on August 1, following an order by the Athens Prosecutor's Office. This is Alexei Sokpa, son of Arkady and Nadezhda, who was born on August 7, 1983 in Russia. An arrest warrant is pending against him for the homicide committed on January 14, 2024 in Neos Kosmos.
In its announcement, EL.AS. He describes him as a member of a criminal organization and states that the publication of his details was deemed necessary for the execution of the warrant and the investigation of other similar crimes in which he may be involved.
It is not known if contacts have already begun for his delivery to the Greek authorities. The process is complicated by the fact that he is detained in the occupied territories, where there is no recognized judicial and police authority with which Greece can follow the usual procedure for executing a warrant.
The execution of Vangelis Zampounis
44-year-old Vangelis Zampounis was murdered shortly after 2 am on January 14, 2024, outside a gas station he maintained at the junction of Frantzi and Ilia Iliou streets in Neos Kosmos.
The perpetrators approached his car and opened fire with a Kalashnikov. 97 shell casings were found in the area, while one of the executors opened the door of the vehicle and shot the victim with a pistol. The car used in the attack was later found burned on Athens Avenue.
Zampounis was known to the Greek authorities and had been involved in investigations into the activities of organized crime groups. In 2018, he had survived a previous assassination attempt in Piraeus.
His execution was linked by EL.AS. with the war between criminal groups to control illegal activities, including the smuggling of tobacco products.
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The Cameroonian footballer Charles Eloundou was released a while ago.
The 31-year-old was under deportation and was being held at the "Limnes" Pre-Removal Detention Center for Migrants. He was arrested by the Cyprus Police when it was found that he did not have a residence permit on our island.
The case had dimensions, as "F" had revealed on 19/8, since the midfielder who served in Anorthosis, Nea Salamina and Ethnikos Achnas is a key prosecution witness in a criminal case.
In addition, as the executive president of the Pancyprian Footballers' Association (PASP), Spyros Neofytidis, complained to "F", the footballer who is married to a French citizen, had applied for the renewal of his residence permit eight months ago, falling victim to time-consuming procedures.
It should be noted that when we informed the Police about the case, we had been duly informed by the Police Force that his case would be handled based on the above data.
PASP had made a request for the releaseof the 31-year-old midfielder until the completion of the process of renewing his residence permit, which was approved today.
Shortly after 16:00, Spyros Neofytidis was at the Pre-Removal Detention Center for Migrants "Limnes", where he picked up the footballer immediately after leaving the detention area.
Mr. Neofytidis, in his statements to Filenews, expressed personal thanks to the Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection, Nikolas A. Ioannidis and to the Chief of Police, Themistos Arnaoutis. As he said, after written representations he made on the issue of Eloundos, they showed the corresponding sensitivity.
