Court orders detention following police operation
Five suspects have been placed in eight-day custody as part of an investigation into an alleged criminal gang in Larnaca, following a large-scale police operation carried out last Thursday.
The remand order was issued on Monday by the Larnaca District Court, after the suspects were brought before the court under heightened security measures. The arrests were made in Larnaca and at the Central Prisons.
The suspects are aged 22, 31, 42 and two aged 29.
Reasonable suspicion established by court
In its ruling, the court said there is reasonable suspicion that the offences under investigation were committed and that the five suspects were involved. The eight-day detention period is counted from Friday, 23 January, when the remand application was submitted.
Police are investigating a series of offences including participation in a criminal organisation, conspiracy to commit a felony, demands for property with threats, extortion, and money laundering. The offences under investigation are alleged to have been committed between 2023 and 2025 in Larnaca district.
Phones and vehicles under forensic examination
As part of the investigation into the Larnaca criminal gang, police are conducting forensic examinations on mobile phones and vehicles belonging to the suspects.
According to information presented in court, investigators located a number of video files on the mobile phone of the 22-year-old suspect during a separate investigation into an attempted murder of a 47-year-old businessman in Larnaca on 31 July 2025. The audiovisual material reportedly dates from 2023 to 2025.
Police told the court that 366 investigative entries have been made so far, following a six-month period of evidence gathering.
Investigation continues
The investigative work of the police is ongoing. More than 32 statements are expected to be taken from family members, associates and professional contacts of the suspects, as well as from business owners and licensed security guards.
Authorities will also examine closed-circuit surveillance footage, carry out forensic analysis of mobile devices and proceed with the lifting of telecommunications data as the case develops.
Also read: Larnaca: Five face court over involvement in criminal organisation
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