A Larnaca resident has been detained by the Turkish Cypriot authorities when he followed his dog which had ran off into the buffer zone, police said on Friday.

The wife of the 71-year-old man reported the incident to Athienou police at around 9pm on Thursday.

She told police her husband was with his dog at his orchard, which is next to the buffer zone in Athienou at around 5pm.

However, the dog managed run off into the buffer zone. When his owner tried to follow him to bring him back, authorities in the north arrested him, his wife told the police.

She was informed of the incident through a phone call by her husband.

Police said that the bi-communal group and the UN are collaborating for the man’s release.