Police have issued four arrest warrants in connection with the fatal shooting of a Pakistani man during an alleged migrant smuggling operation in Potamia, marking progress in the investigation.
The warrants target one Cameroonian national and three Turkish Cypriots. Police say the Cameroonian suspect was driving a rental car that allegedly drove at police officers during the incident.
The vehicle was carrying the 24-year-old Pakistani man who was fatally shot by an officer from the Anti-Poaching Unit, police say.
Sources told philenews that the three Turkish Cypriot suspects are currently in the occupied north. Authorities will attempt to secure their handover through the Bi-communal Technical Committee on Crime and the United Nations.
Investigators tracked down the Cameroonian suspect after he took the rental car, which had allegedly rammed a police vehicle, to a repair shop.
He was later identified through CCTV footage in the Aglantzia area. Police believe locating the vehicle will provide crucial evidence, including potential bullet marks and its movement pattern.
Meanwhile, the investigation has sparked controversy over the autopsy procedures.
The criminal investigator appointed by the Attorney General has requested a second autopsy.
The coroner who conducted the initial autopsy faces disciplinary investigation, though his lawyer claims he is being made a “scapegoat” and plans legal action against the Ministry of Health.
Two other vehicles involved in the alleged smuggling operation remain unidentified, though one is believed to belong to a known Turkish Cypriot, police said.
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