Police have made four additional arrests in connection with the premeditated murder of a 41-year-old man in Peyia, which took place late on Saturday night.
The four suspects, aged 34, 31, 28 and 25, were arrested as part of the ongoing investigation and face charges including conspiracy to commit a misdemeanour, carrying a knife, malicious damage, possession of a weapon with intent to cause alarm, and possession and transport of an offensive instrument. They are expected to be formally charged in writing later on Monday and released, to be summoned to court at a later stage.
A 29-year-old man remains in eight-day custody in relation to the same case, following his arrest in the early hours of Sunday. He faces charges of premeditated murder, acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm and carrying a knife.
Social media posts
According to police, the latest arrest warrants were issued following evidence that emerged during the investigation. Assistant Paphos Police Director of Operations Michalis Nikolaou said the fatal incident appears to be linked to personal disputes stemming from public posts on a social media platform, which he described as being of an immoral nature.
The victim, a Bulgarian national, was taken to Paphos General Hospital with a knife embedded in the right side of his abdomen. Despite the efforts of doctors on duty, he succumbed to his injuries at around 4:00am on Sunday. His body was transferred to the hospital mortuary.
According to testimony presented in court by the investigating officer, Andreas Hadjivassilis, an acting sergeant with Paphos CID, police received information at around 11:40pm on Saturday about a fight at a residence in Peyia. At the scene, officers located the 29-year-old suspect outside his home, along with his vehicle, which had sustained visible damage.
Victim was in car with knife in abdomen
Shortly afterwards, at around 12:15am, members of the Paphos Rapid Response Unit stopped a vehicle on Kennedy Avenue carrying five people. The occupants reported that they were transporting an injured person to hospital, a claim later confirmed by the authorities.
Police determined that the 41-year-old victim was inside the vehicle with the knife still lodged in his abdomen. A 28-year-old relative of the victim was also in the vehicle, having sustained head injuries and abrasions after reportedly being struck by a car.
Investigators said the individuals involved had travelled from Limassol to Peyia to meet the suspect in an attempt to resolve a misunderstanding. During the incident, the victim is alleged to have caused damage to the suspect’s vehicle, after which the fatal stabbing occurred.
During questioning, the 29-year-old suspect admitted stabbing the victim but claimed he did not intend to kill him. The court ruled that there were reasonable suspicions against him and approved his continued detention, noting that the investigation remains at an early stage.
A post-mortem examination was carried out on Monday by forensic pathologist Nikolaos Charalambous, who concluded that the cause of death was internal bleeding and haemorrhagic shock caused by a sharp, penetrating object.
Paphos CID continues its investigations.