Five people arrested for illegal employment

One woman and four men were arrested for illegally working at a Larnaca tavern, police said on Friday.

The five workers, aged 32, 42, 24, 23, and 22, were found during police checks at five businesses in Larnaca as part of a campaign to tackle human trafficking and work exploitation. The checks were carried out from 7pm on Thursday to half past midnight on Friday.

The arrested people, who are third-country nationals, were taken to Oroklini police station for further questioning and investigations.

During their checks, police determined that the 42-year-old was illegally residing in Cyprus, as his residence permit had expired, while the other four were legally residing in the country.

The 42-year-old was taken into police custody, and the other four were charged in writing and released to appear in court later.

Their employer is also being investigated for employing five people illegally. He was called to the police station where he was charged in writing and is also due to appear in court at a later date.

Meanwhile, another 13 undeclared workers, who are EU residents, were found during the checks, resulting in the booking of the five businesses.