Arsonists in the early morning hours, set fire to a room at the Limassol district court where evidence is kept, causing extensive damage to the contents, police said.

Police were notified of the fire at around 1.45am by a passer-by who saw smoke coming out of a window on the second floor.

Limassol CID chief Lefteris Kyriacou said the fire service put out the blaze, which is believed to have been set by two perpetrators who used a ladder to access the room’s window.

The suspects then broke into the building through the window and set fire to the room, which is used for storing evidence, documents, and the court’s servers.

The perpetrators left behind the ladder they had used to enter the building.

Kyriacou said evidence relating to serious cases before the criminal court were stored in the room whose contents were damaged extensively.

The CID chief said they were expecting the court officer to inform them of what was stored inside exactly.