Cyprus police are investigating a widespread scam involving forced windscreen wiper replacements after a serious assault left a man requiring surgery at Nicosia General Hospital.
The incident, which occurred last Sunday at Timi village in the Paphos district, appears to be just “the tip of the iceberg” of a problem that has been occurring across the island, police sources told Phileleftheros.
A 47-year-old man was severely beaten after defending a female acquaintance who refused to pay for unwanted windscreen wiper replacements on her vehicle.
The assault occurred during the regular Sunday market at Timi, when the woman returned to her car to find unknown persons had replaced her wipers without permission.
When she refused payment and demanded her original wipers be reinstalled, the perpetrators claimed the replacements were “disposable” and would break if removed, insisting on payment.
The 47-year-old intervened and was assaulted, resulting in injuries that required surgery at Nicosia General Hospital. The attackers fled and are being sought by police.
Police sources confirmed to Phileleftheros that this practice is not isolated to Paphos but occurs across Cyprus.
The sources explained that while the practice has been observed for many months, the serious outcome of this latest incident has brought it into public focus.
“The Paphos Police Division has no other formal complaints regarding this practice, only informative reports from citizens and intelligence,” a police source said.
Similar incidents involving opportunists approaching drivers and attempting to catch them off guard by replacing windscreen wipers and then demanding payment have been reported in previous months, particularly outside supermarkets, shopping malls, and other commercial businesses with high traffic volumes.
Sources indicated that in some cases, the perpetrators would ask drivers before proceeding with the replacement, while in others they would act entirely without warning or approval from vehicle owners.
The phenomenon has reportedly been more frequent in previous months than it is currently, with police involvement in some cases and increased citizen awareness appearing to have reduced such activities.
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