Three minors aged 15, 16, and 17 were remanded in custody for five and two days for a case of vehicle theft in Paphos. The stolen car, worth €2,000, was found abandoned in a remote area in Stavrokonou after five days.
A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography, following a tip from Europol about uploads of videos involving sexual abuse of minors from his account. The arrest occurred on Sunday just after noon, based on a court-ordered arrest warrant. The investigation led to the seizure of a laptop and five mobile devices from the man’s home in Limassol and involved individuals close to him. The electronic crime unit is continuing its investigation.
A 43-year-old was arrested in Paphos for being suspected of involvement in an accident that injured a 54-year-old motorcyclist in Kissonerga. The accident occurred on Sunday morning, leaving the motorcyclist in critical condition at Paphos General Hospital. The arrest was made after police received an arrest warrant. Investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing.
A 23-year-old man was arrested in connection with a burglary in Larnaca that occurred in mid-February. This arrest followed the earlier arrests of a 40-year-old and an 18-year-old for the same incident. The burglary took place around 2am on February 19, where four individuals wearing hoods broke into a 59-year-old woman’s home, restrained her and her two domestic helpers, and stole jewelry, watches, and money. The police’s investigations led to the arrest of the two initially mentioned individuals on March 16, and further evidence led to the arrest of the 23-year-old. He is expected to be brought before the Larnaca District Court for a remand, and the Larnaca CID continues its investigations.
Police in Larnaca arrested a 44-year-old man and a 17.5-year-old teen suspected of importing six kilograms of cannabis. The arrests occurred on Friday night after the man attempted to flee in his car, crashing into a patrol vehicle. Five plastic bags of cannabis weighing around 6kg were found in the back seat of the car, and two additional bags were found on the 44-year-old during a body check. Both suspects are expected to appear in court for a remand.
The north’s Famagusta police chief, Baris Sel, claimed his arrest in the “fake diploma scandal” was a conspiracy against him. He was accused of fraudulently obtaining a master’s degree from Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University (KSTU) in Morphou but claimed he submitted a thesis to KSTU’s general secretary. A lieutenant colonel from the ‘TRNC security forces command’ was arrested for obtaining a forged doctorate from KSTU but released on bail. Another ‘TRNC security forces command’ employee, a captain, was arrested and remanded in custody. Two relatives of Ersin Tatar’s bodyguard, Serif Avcil, were also arrested in connection with the scandal, with one found in possession of a certificate of study and the other a degree certificate from KSTU. Avcil claimed to have lost his phone when summoned to the police station.
Police arrested three men aged 25, 23, and 22 for an armed robbery in an Ayia Napa hotel, where they are accused of conspiracy to commit a felony, robbery, and common assault. The arrests followed reports of three people being attacked with bats by a group of around 12 people in a hotel room, during which money was stolen. The police investigation is ongoing.
Robinho’s defense has requested Brazil’s Supreme Court to prevent his immediate arrest following a ruling that he must serve a nine-year prison sentence in Brazil for rape. A Milan court in 2017 found Robinho and five other Brazilians guilty of gang raping a 22-year-old Albanian woman in 2013. The conviction was confirmed by an appeals court in 2020 and validated by Italy’s Supreme Court in 2022.
The north’s ‘interior ministry’ requested the suspension of Meray Durust from her civil servant post due to her being on bail for allegedly forging documents. Durust had been working as the director of the north’s ‘labour ministry’ until her arrest with her husband, former ‘education minister’ Kemal Durust, in February over accusations of obtaining a false degree from Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University in Morphou. After her arrest, ‘labour minister’ Sadik Gardiyanoglu announced Durust was given a new public sector role in the Morphou District Governor’s office. Additionally, two relatives of Ersin Tatar’s bodyguard, Serif Avcil, also arrested in the same investigation, were found in possession of certificates from KSTU, with one having a degree certificate from a four-year undergraduate program. Both were remanded in custody for a day. Avcil, who appeared in court, claimed to have lost his phone on the way to the police station after being contacted to appear.
Robinho’s defense has requested Brazil’s Supreme Court to prevent his immediate arrest following a ruling for him to serve a nine-year prison sentence in Brazil for rape. This comes after a Milan court in 2017 found him and five others guilty of gang raping a 22-year-old Albanian woman in 2013, a conviction confirmed by an appeals court in 2020 and Italy’s Supreme Court in 2022. The Brazilian court confirmed the validity of the Italian sentence in Brazil, focusing solely on its applicability rather than reopening the rape case. Robinho’s lawyers argue that his imprisonment contradicts both the Brazilian Constitution and Supreme Court jurisprudence, emphasizing that there was no Brazilian law at the time of the crime for enforcing foreign sentences, and such a law cannot be applied retroactively.