Two men in remand after caught using stolen ID

Two men aged 21 and 20 were arrested at Paphos airport and remanded in custody after attempting to travel abroad using stolen passports, police said on Monday.

The first, a 21-year-old man of African origin, attempted to fly to Krakow using a Belgian passport.

Further checks showed that the travel document had been reported as stolen or lost by its 36-year-old owner, and was in Interpol’s stolen and lost travel documents database.

The suspect revealed his true age and identity to police, and further investigation showed he applied for asylum as a political refugee in July 2020, with his case still pending.

The second suspect was a 20-year-old African man who attempted to fly to the Netherlands also using a Belgian passport.

At passport control it was determined the passport had been stolen, and he was arrested.

Paphos district court ordered a three-day remand for the 21-year-old and a two-day remand for the 20-year-old.

Both cases are under investigation by Paphos CID.