A series of criminal acts believed to be linked to organised crime has caused concern in Larnaca after a 25-year-old woman’s car was shot multiple times outside her Oroklini home early Friday morning, marking the third such incident in 25 days.
The latest attack occurred around 4am when the frightened woman contacted police after hearing loud noises she believed could be gunfire whilst inside her residence. Officers from Oroklini Police Station immediately attended and confirmed her vehicle, parked outside, had been struck by four bullets.
Evidence suggests targeted message
The scene was cordoned off, and preliminary examinations uncovered five complete hunting rifle cartridges and five 9mm shell casings, likely from a pistol, on the ground.
Police believe the shooting was intended as a message to the woman’s partner, who is known to authorities and currently abroad. The incident has again put Larnaca Police on high alert.
Investigators are seeking witness testimonies from the remote and sparsely populated area where the woman’s house is located, with motives remaining unclear.
Pattern of unsolved attacks
The shooting follows two attempted murders in recent weeks. On 31 July, a 47-year-old man cycling from Dromolaxia Industrial Area towards Krasa reported hearing gunshots behind him.
Initially thinking they came from hunters, he realised he was the target and saw the perpetrator, wearing a helmet, flee on foot after abandoning a scooter. Despite extensive searches involving drones and helicopter support, the attacker escaped.
On 14 July, a 49-year-old man was shot in the leg outside his Pyla home as he arrived with his partner and her 12-year-old daughter from the airport.
The gunman fired two pistol shots, with one bullet striking the victim’s leg and another found in a suitcase. The injured man was treated at Larnaca and Nicosia General Hospitals before being discharged.
Notably, in all three unsolved cases, police released details to the public with delays and only after initial reports appeared in online media.
