All four suspects wanted in connection with the police killing of a Pakistani asylum seeker in Potamia may have fled to the occupied north, sources told Phileleftheros.
Three Turkish Cypriot suspects are already believed to be in the north, while the fourth suspect, a 39-year-old Cameroonian national, is thought to have either crossed into northern Cyprus or remains hiding in the government-controlled areas, police sources say.
Police have contacted the Bi-communal Technical Committee on Crime, seeking assistance through the United Nations for the suspects’ arrest and handover.
Investigators are also searching for a rental vehicle allegedly driven by the Cameroonian suspect at the time of the incident, when the 24-year-old Pakistani man was shot by a police officer.
In a separate development, the Cabinet has appointed Dr Panagiotis Hadjipavilides, a director at the Ministry of Defence, to conduct the disciplinary investigation into state pathologist Nicolas Charalambous. Hadjipavilides replaces Andreas Gregoriou, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The incident occurred near the buffer zone near Potamia. Initial police reports indicated the shooting occurred while officers attempted to stop a vehicle believed to be involved in a smuggling operation. However, forensic findings suggesting the man was shot in the back have raised questions and contradicted the initial police account.
Moreover, an initial autopsy of the man’s body ruled out foul play. A second autopsy, performed a few days later, found a 9mm bullet lodged in the man’s back. State coroner Dr Nicolas Charalambous who performed the fist autopsy has been suspended.
The victim’s body was found in a car parking in Strovolos, around 20 km away from Potamia. Questions remain on how it ended up there.
The killing has sparked outrage and condemnation by political parties and social groups about police’s handling of migration.
In April 2024, Anisur Rahman, a young Bangladeshi worker jumped to his death in Limassol to escape a migrant raid by authorities.
The police killings of migrants come in the backdrop of multiple attacks against migrant delivery workers across Cyprus, raising concerns about increasing racism and intolerance in local society.
In August and September 2023, far-right groups organised repeated attacks against migrants and migrant-owned businesses in Paphos and Limassol.
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