Suspects remanded as police probe December 28 murder (Updated)

Four men, aged 19 to 44, were remanded on Friday in connection with the gangland-related murder of a 53-year-old man in Larnaca in December

The arrests took place during a large police operation in the district between 11pm to midnight Thursday as part of investigations into the murder of Andreas Evangelou.

Three of them, aged 19, 23 and 44, were arrested and remanded for eight days on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, premeditated murder, participation in a criminal organisation, illegal possession and transport of a firearm and explosives among others.

A fourth suspect, aged 28, was arrested and remanded for four days on suspicion of participating in a criminal organisation and committing crimes as well as destruction of evidence.

During the operation, two more men, both aged 20, were also arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of controlled drugs, and money laundering. The two were remanded for six days.

The operation, which involved members of various police departments including Larnaca CID, drug squad, crime prevention department, and police headquarters, followed house and vehicle searches of the arrested persons.

During the searches, evidence was collected and is being evaluated by Larnaca CID investigators.

Small quantities of drugs and some cash were also confiscated, police said.

Evangelou was shot six times by a gunman who had arrived on a moped together with another individual as he was parking his car on the ground floor of the apartment building where he lived at around 8pm on December 28.

Footage from security cameras showed the two perpetrators on a moped approaching Evangelou the moment he parked his car. One of them got off and shot him from close range.

The camera also caught an individual in Evangelou’s passenger seat fleeing the scene soon afterwards.

Reports said police tracked the man down and determined he was a foreign national who had nothing to do with the murder.

Crime scene officers collected evidence from the scene while Evangelou’s car was taken to the police lab for forensics examination.

Investigators suspect that the killing could be related to a drug bust that took place in 2019. Evangelou’s son Yiannis, 26, and his son-in-law Marios Georgiou, aka Mariouthkias, 34, had been arrested on suspicion of trafficking 1.5 kilos of cocaine.

His son was jailed for six years and Georgiou for two. Both turned state’s witness with Georgiou released in March 2020.

Georgiou was gunned down in April this year in the Kiti area before testifying.

He was returning home from the gym when he was ambushed in what was a well planned and executed hit.

Yiannis Evangelou, who was placed in witness protection, testified recently.