Police are piecing together details of a suspected human trafficking ring as developments in the case unfold rapidly.
Authorities made another arrest early today, detaining the first male suspect in the case. The 29-year-old, who plays football for a third-division team in Limassol, was arrested at 9:30 a.m. following an outstanding court warrant. He appeared in court without legal representation, where a judge approved his detention for three days.
Investigators allege the suspect managed adult service advertisements on a well-known online platform, playing an active role in the operation. He reportedly used both his own bank card and that of a 27-year-old female suspect, arrested yesterday, to pay for the victims’ advertisements.
Police traced both suspects through detailed investigation of the online advertisements. By Wednesday afternoon, authorities had made four arrests, with one additional person still wanted.
Sources indicate that 13 adult service advertisements were paid for using the female suspect’s bank card.
The trafficking operation began unravelling in May when the Anti-Trafficking Unit received information from Larnaca CID about a woman seeking help, initially reporting theft of her belongings. During questioning, she revealed she had been brought to Cyprus by the first suspect for sex work.
The four suspects face charges including conspiracy to commit felony and misdemeanour, trafficking of adults, sexual exploitation, money laundering, maintaining a brothel, and profiting from sex work.
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