A 39-year-old suspect has changed his testimony in the Potamia police killing case, now claiming the 24-year-old victim, Shoaib Khan, was already dead when he transported him to a car park in Strovolos.
The suspect had initially stated he had transported the victim alive, but in a written statement has now admitted the man was killed immediately after being shot, before being moved to an empty plot in the Acropolis district of Nicosia.
The revelation came during a Nicosia District Court hearing where Chief Inspector Yiannos Yiannakou of Nicosia CID testified under oath. The hearing concerned the detention of an Iranian national arrested yesterday in Limassol in connection with a migrant trafficking ring.
The court heard that a 27-year-old Pakistani suspect, still at large, is believed by police to be the mastermind behind the trafficking operation.
The detention proceedings for the Iranian suspect are ongoing, with his lawyer contesting the detention order.
Police are seeking several other suspects, including Turkish Cypriots, in relation to the January 6 incident in Potamia.
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.
