Two arrested for aiding illegal entry to republic

Two men aged 31 and 21 were arrested by the police on suspicion of aiding the illegal entry of people into the republic. The two suspects were caught in their car transporting two other individuals who had allegedly entered the republic illegally.

On Monday night members of the Larnaca police, spotted two persons with luggage, at a point near the Larnaca buffer zone. Thirty minutes later they saw the two suspects arriving by car, picking up the two passengers and heading towards Larnaca.

Police stopped the vehicle, driven by the 31-year-old and determined the passengers were third-country nationals, a man and a woman 30 and 24 years old. The passengers had apparently arrived in the north in previous days and were transported by another person to the meeting place near the buffer zone where the two suspects picked them up to take them to a police station where they intended to submit applications for asylum.

The man and woman said they paid €5,000 and €3,000 respectively, to a fellow national to arrange their transfer to Cyprus, the money going towards payment of the two suspects.

Arrest warrants were issued against the two suspects, under which they are detained for questioning. Meanwhile, the two passengers have been transferred to a migrant reception centre, as investigations continue.