A police operation targeting irregular migrant trafficking in the buffer zone turned deadly, raising questions about police conduct after it emerged that a Pakistani man, Shoaib Khan, had been killed during the incident.
The connection between a body found in Nicosia’s Acropolis area and the shooting near Potamia village was not established until three days after the January 6 incident, when an autopsy revealed a police bullet in the victim’s chest.
According to police, officers fired at vehicles attempting to transport migrants from the Turkish-occupied area after they refused to stop and allegedly tried to ram police vehicles.
Allegedly, neither the officer who fired the fatal shot nor the driver who transported the 24-year-old victim to Acropolis were initially aware he had been wounded.
A 39-year-old Cameroonian man has been arrested and admitted to driving the rental car involved in the incident. He told police the victim paid €500 for transport from the occupied areas and was walking but behaving oddly when left in Acropolis.
The case has sparked controversy over the initial autopsy findings, leading to the suspension of state pathologist Nicolas Charalambous. His lawyer has demanded an apology from the Health Minister and threatened legal action, arguing the suspension was unjustified.
Police are seeking three Turkish Cypriots in connection with the case, while a fourth suspect has reportedly admitted involvement in the occupied areas. Questions remain about their precise roles and the total number of shots fired during the incident.
A criminal investigator has been appointed to oversee the investigation amid public scrutiny over potential oversights in the initial handling of the case. The incident occurred near a military outpost in Potamia, an area known for smuggling activities.
The victim was initially described by police as part of a trafficking network, though evidence suggests he was paying to be transported. The investigation continues as authorities seek to clarify the full sequence of events.
