Police arrested a 46-year-old man on Wednesday over an alleged scam in the Famagusta district in 2022. In the scheme, a man handed over 89,000 euros to have supposedly dyed banknotes turned back into usable cash.
Police are still looking for a second person in connection with the case. They are investigating it as conspiracy to commit a felony, theft by deception and impersonation.
According to the complaint, the 45-year-old victim was approached by someone he did not know. The stranger offered to put him in touch with a Prince of Gabon called Harry, who was said to be interested in buying his off-licence for one million euros.
At one of their meetings, the supposed prince allegedly told him that he was having problems getting money out of his country. The cash he would be paid had therefore been dyed white, he said, and would return to its original state after the right chemical treatment.
The 45-year-old allegedly made an initial payment on August 25, 2022, to have the one million euros restored. At one point, the second suspect allegedly told him he was going to Larnaca to fetch new chemicals for the banknotes. The two suspects allegedly disappeared after that.
Famagusta CID is continuing its investigation.
