Woman arrested over ‘girl with the hula hoop’ bronze statue theft

A 33-year-old woman was arrested on Tuesday for her possible connection with the theft of a bronze statue created by artist Yiota Ioannidou in Paphos.

The ‘girl with the hula hoop’, installed at the Hani tou Ibrahim since last autumn, was reported stolen on Saturday.

According to Paphos CID chief and spokesman Michalis Nicolaou, eyewitness statements and evidence point to a connection of the 33-year-old. She was arrested and taken to the Paphos CID station on Wednesday afternoon.

The theft was reported by an employee of the Paphos municipality after shopkeepers in the area noticed it was gone.