Police in Paphos say that they have busted a huge burglary ring that had been targeting homes, shops and construction sites throughout the district.
According to Paphos Police Chief Nicos Tsappis, vans and pick-up trucks were needed to haul the loot that was being stored in apartments and storage facilities back to Paphos Police Headquarters. The cost of the stolen goods has yet to be calculated although one police source was quoted as saying that it looked “like a tidy sum”.
Police got the initial breakthrough recently when a 35-year-old man from Geroskippou village was stopped and found to have items – believed to have been stolen – in his car. A search of his properties followed where more stolen items were discovered.
During questioning, the man named another three suspects – aged 23, 29 and 32 – as his partners in a gang that has been targeting the district of Paphos. The three other men have denied being involved burglaries saying only that they were buying the items and selling them on.
“We are talking about a well-drilled and well-organised operation,” Tsappis told reporters. “They were methodical in their approach and in the way that they were managing to sell on the stolen goods at extraordinarily low prices. We believe that they are connected to eight recent burglaries and that is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Some of the stolen items include electronic equipment, jewellery, household appliances and even equipment from construction sites.