A 39-year-old man, believed to be the mastermind behind Cyprus’s largest-ever sham marriage scheme involving 133 fake weddings, has been arrested in Germany and extradited to Cyprus early Friday morning.
The suspect, who had been living in Cyprus as a registered student, is alleged to have led a network that arranged fraudulent marriages between Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals and citizens from Portugal and Latvia.
The marriages were conducted across three municipalities: 107 in Aradippou, 25 in Nicosia, and one in Livadia.
The arrest, made possible through a European arrest warrant, is considered crucial to the investigation, which involves cooperation between Cyprus, Portugal and Latvia under Europol coordination.
The operation, codenamed “Operational Task Force Limassol,” was launched in January 2024 following initial intelligence received from Portuguese authorities in November 2020.
Investigators believe the criminal organisation, operating since at least 2017, generated over €1 million in revenue, charging up to €10,000 per marriage.
The scheme aimed to secure residence permits in Cyprus for third-country nationals, enabling their subsequent travel to other European countries.
To date, 17 foreign nationals have been arrested (14 in Cyprus), with 19 others still wanted.
Two separate trials are ongoing at the Larnaca Criminal Court, with a third expected to be filed against the recently arrested suspect.
A Latvian defendant has already pleaded guilty to recruiting brides, with sentencing scheduled for November 12.
The case represents the largest sham marriage investigation in Cyprus’s history, involving fake insurance documents and a complex pyramid scheme structure. Among those still wanted is one Cypriot national.
