Police are expected to make progress in the coming hours in the investigation of a Pakistani migrant’s death by police gunfire during an operation against human traffickers in Potamia, sources said today.
Investigators from Nicosia’s Criminal Investigation Department have identified the rental vehicle used by the smugglers, the rental agency, and the person who hired the car, according to police sources.
The rental car was the only one of three vehicles used by the smugglers crossing from the occupied territories that bore registration plates. One of the other two vehicles is believed to belong to a Turkish Cypriot, authorities said.
Police believe locating the vehicle could provide crucial evidence about whether the 24-year-old Pakistani victim was a passenger in it when he was shot by a member of the police anti-poaching unit.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has briefed the Pakistani ambassador to Lebanon, who oversees Cyprus in the absence of an embassy in Nicosia, about the incident. Sources said the ambassador was satisfied with the explanations provided.
Arrests are expected once the vehicle is found, with police focusing their search on specific individuals residing in the government-controlled areas.
Case background
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.
The victim’s body was found in a car parking in Strovolos, around 20 km away from Potamia. Questions remain on how it ended up there.
An independent investigator has been appointed to lead a criminal probe into the incident, aiming to establish the full circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The killing has sparked outrage and condemnation by political parties and social groups about police’s handling of migration.
