Bodies buried in garden confirmed those of Russian women

Scientific checks have confirmed the bodies found buried in the garden of a holiday home in early December were indeed those of Alraeesi Khaiat, 43, and Mariia Gazibagandova, 33, police said on Tuesday.

The bodies were uncovered on December 5 as part of an investigation into the disappearance of the two women, both Russian nationals, who had been missing from their Larnaca residence since November 17.

They were later discovered to have been murdered after the 33-year-old main suspect broke down during questioning and admitted to killing them and burying them in the garden of a holiday home he had been renovating in Kato Amiantos.

The man’s 44-year-old brother had been questioned earlier in the investigation and was arrested on December 14 after telecommunications data placed him in the Kato Amiantos area during the dates the crime was committed.

Police told the court they had questioned the man on November 30, but he had claimed ignorance of the events.

Faced with the evidence, the man admitted to being at the scene on the night of November 16. He claimed, however, that he never entered the house where his brother had allegedly spent the night with the two women.

The younger brother faces charges of premeditated murder, and theft as he had used the credit card of one of the victims. He is set to face the criminal court on February 11.

His brother will face charges of accessory-after-the-fact and interfering with the investigation.