Pafos Live 2/10
A new case of online fraud with investments in shares is being investigated by the Police in the province of Paphos, following a complaint filed today with the Paphos TAE by a 60-year-old man.
According to the complainant, at the beginning of June 2026, the 60-year-old received a phone call from an unknown woman, who spoke in Russian, and told him that she could invest in oil, gold and other metal stocks. Following her instructions and opening a link sent to him via a communication app, he created a profile on an unknown website. The unknown woman then guided him to make investments.
The 60-year-old made, during the period between 09/06/2026 and 29/07/2026, bank transfers totaling €51,326 to bank accounts abroad, which were indicated to him by the unknown woman. When his investment seemed to show a significant profit, he tried to contact it to no avail. Then he realized that it was a scam.
A few days later, on 03/08/2026, the 60-year-old was contacted via a communication application unknown to the man. The unknown person allegedly claimed to work for a company that deals with the identification of money lost due to online scams and promised him a refund of €280,000.
After being convinced by the above allegations, the 60-year-old made, during the period between 03/08/2026 and 31/08/2026, a series of bank transfers totalling €14,000 to bank accounts abroad, which were indicated to him by the unknown man. The sums of money in question were allegedly paid under the pretext that they related to expenses, commissions, insurance premiums and tax charges.
As he did not receive any amount of money, he realized that he had been a victim of fraud again.
The case is being investigated by the Financial Crime Investigation Office, of the Paphos Police Department.
The Police, on the occasion of this case, recommends special attention to the public. It is pointed out that the provision of access to electronic devices to other persons, as well as access to online accounts, should be avoided, while personal and bank account information should be protected and never disclosed.
In relation to the conduct of any transactions and investments over the internet, the public is urged to cooperate only with recognized companies and approved advisors, for any financial investments.
* * * * * *
The Police yesterday arrested a 29-year-old man, against whom a European Arrest Warrant was pending, issued by the Dutch authorities for the offenses of human trafficking and participation in a criminal organization.
The 29-year-old, after being arrested, was taken into custody, while he is expected to appear before the Nicosia District Court, for the start of the extradition process.
The TAE of Nicosia continues the examinations.
* * * * * *
Filenews
The Police arrested four people as part of their preventive operations.
The four were arrested for various offenses, including illegal possession of tobacco products (three persons).
As part of these operations, during the night, 529 drivers and 175 passengers were stopped and checked. At the same time, 42 inspections of premises were carried out, with the aim of dealing with phenomena of delinquency, where two complaints emerged.
During traffic checks carried out, 273 complaints were made, concerning various traffic violations, while 11 investigated cases of traffic violations also emerged.
Of the complaints made, 139 concerned exceeding the speed limit, while as part of the police examinations, eight vehicles were detained.
81 alcohol tests were carried out, which resulted in eight complaints. In five preliminary drug tests, two positive results were recorded.
Policing operations, for the prevention and suppression of crime, continue daily, with an increased/enhanced police presence, targeted controls and immediate operational action, with the aim of increasing the sense of security of citizens/protecting citizens and ensuring public order.
* * * * * *
As part of the actions to prevent and reduce fatal and serious road collisions, members of the Famagusta Traffic Police have carried out a control campaign in the last 24 hours on roads where the use of personal mobility devices is not allowed.
During the campaign, 34 complaints emerged, which concerned nine cases of use of a device outside the lane of trafficking, eight cases of non-use of a helmet, three cases of use in unauthorized areas of trafficking, etc.
* * * * * *
The Supreme Court rejected an application by an Indian national for a privileged habeas corpus order, requesting his release from the Immigrant Detention Center in Limnes, ruling that, at this stage, there is still a real and concrete prospect of his deportation.
The applicant, an Indian national, born in 2003, had arrived in Cyprus on September 27, 2022 on a student permit. His temporary residence and study permit was renewed until January 22, 2026. After its expiration, he did not take any action to further legalize his stay and, according to the decision, continued to reside illegally in the Republic.
At the same time, the applicant remained on trial in the Central Prison in relation to pending criminal cases, including a case before the Limassol District Court for offenses that included injury, carrying a knife and conspiracy to commit a felony.
On 19 May 2026, the Attorney General gave instructions to withdraw the outstanding criminal cases to allow for his deportation. The cases were withdrawn and the applicant was acquitted. The next day, detention and deportation orders were issued against him, on the grounds that he is considered a prohibited immigrant due to his illegal stay since January 23, 2026. The detention order referred, among other things, to the risk of absconding and the absence of room for the imposition of alternative measures.
The applicant appealed to the Administrative Court against the detention and deportation orders. The appeal resulted in the suspension of the enforcement of the expulsion order. The clarifications before the Administrative Court were completed on July 28, 2026, while at the time of the Supreme Court's decision, on September 29, the decision of the Administrative Court remained reserved.
In his application to the Supreme Court, registered on 14 September, the applicant argued that his detention had become illegal, as there was no "real and realistic prospect of removal" from Cyprus.
The Supreme Court, however, held that the deportation has not been possible so far not due to the inaction of the administration, but because of the judicial appeal brought by the applicant himself, which is his legal right.
As stated in the decision, in the event that the Administrative Court upholds the legality of the detention and deportation orders and there is no other legal impediment, the competent authorities are expected to proceed immediately with the execution of the deportation to India.
The judge underlined that detention is a restriction of the constitutionally guaranteed right to liberty and cannot be an end in itself. It should last as soon as possible and only continue as long as the removal process is carried out with due diligence.
In the present case, the Supreme Court ruled that the approximately four months of detention did not justify, at this stage, the issuance of a habeas corpus order, as it was not found that the administration was delaying or failing to act as required.
The Court noted, however, that the fact that the decision of the Administrative Court has been pending since the end of July is an element that is taken into account. He added that, if the issuance of the decision continues to be delayed, this fact will work to the benefit of the applicant in a possible future examination of the legality of his detention.
In conclusion, the Supreme Court rejected the application, ruling that the balancing of the rights of the state and the applicant, under the specific circumstances of the case, leads to its rejection. No order for costs was issued, while the costs of the interpreters will be paid by the Republic of Cyprus.
* * * * * *
The hearing before the Limassol Criminal Court for the murder of 45-year-old Giannis Argyrou, in the early hours of May 4, 2025, inside the garage of the apartment building where he lived, receiving a total of 19 stab wounds in various parts of his body, is in the deep end. A 52-year-old man is accused of the case, who denies the charge of premeditated murder.
The hearing is at the stage of presentation of the testimony by the Prosecution, which is represented by the Senior Lawyer of the Republic, Andreas Aristidis. The presentation of the case by the Prosecuting Authority is close to completion, as the 47-year-old former co-defendant and partner of the 52-year-old is expected to testify as a prosecution witness in the next trials.
During today's hearing (2/10), two witnesses testified, while the testimony of the manager of the apartment building where the victim lived with his mother was also admissible. In the witness stand were the employee of a café belonging to a relative of the accused and the head of the Cyprus Forensic Service, Dr. Angeliki Papetta.
Of interest was the testimony of the employee at the café, who described the behaviour of the accused when he arrived at the premises. "He was very sweaty and going back and forth in and out of the café, very worried. I asked him what was going on and he told me, 'I don't sell my honour and my dignity to anyone and take care of my daughter.'"
As the witness said, the defendant kept talking inside the café about honours and, at one point, he said: "Whether outside or inside it's a prison for me, it's the same."
Then, as he mentioned, he heard inside the café that someone had been stabbed under an apartment building. As the witness mentioned, from the words of the accused, he calculated that he might have been related to the incident.
"Come fast and they killed my son"
The testimony of the second witness, chairman of the management committee of the apartment building where the 45-year-old was found dead, was submitted as admissible. According to the testimony, around 9:15 a.m. on May 4, 2025, while he was at home, he heard loud voices and screams from a woman, as well as a persistent ringing of the doorbell of his apartment.
"I opened the door and it was Giannis' mother and she told me: 'Come on quickly and they killed my son,'" she said. Following his testimony, he described how he located the victim, while stating that he was the one who called the Limassol Central Police.
The head of the Cyprus Forensic Service, dr. Angeliki Papetta, referred to the findings of the forensic examination. As he said, the victim had multiple injuries from a nyssson and a cutting instrument. In total, as he noted, he had 19 injuries, some of which affected vital organs.
Dr. Papetta also stated that two penetrating wounds were found, while he explained that the cause of death of the 45-year-old was hemorrhagic shock, as a result of multiple ruptures of vessels and vital organs. Asked by the Prosecuting Authority whether she examined the accused, she answered in the negative, stating that after the autopsy she was called by the Police to examine two persons, one of whom was a woman.
However, as he stated, the accused refused to give his consent to be examined forensically.
With the completion of today's proceedings, two witnesses for the prosecution remain. These are the investigator of the case and the 47-year-old former co-defendant and partner of the 52-year-old.
As filenews wrote in a previous report, the 47-year-old stated in her testimonies that the 52-year-old told her twice that he killed Argyrou and pointed the knife at her. As she testified, she found him outside the garage with his clothes covered in blood, after he had previously asked her to return to pick him up. She had said that the 52-year-old was extremely jealous of her.
