Police swoop on Chlorakas crime hotspot

A massive 60-person police operation in Chlorakas on Thursday morning targeted a well-known crime hotspot which found that seven apartments were stealing electricity.

Michalis Nikolaou, Paphos police spokesman and head of the department, told the Cyprus Mail that officers from the rapid response unit, the drug squad and migration department officials all took part in the 7am bust.

“The area of the Saint Nicholas apartment complex in Chlorakas has been troubling us for some time now and is on our radar, there are issues almost every night,” he explained.

The operation lasted about four hours and was completed by 11am, resulting in three arrests and uncovering a series of stolen items – including a motorbike from Limassol.

Nikolaou explained that there are frequent reports of drugs, fights and other disturbances in the area on an almost daily basis.

The operation also involved EAC and Chlorakas community council employees who took part as they examined illegal installations which passed on electricity to certain apartments. They also investigated illegal water connections.

Nikolaou explained that seven apartments were found to have been linking electricity from a nearby EAC substation.

The Saint Nicholas complex has repeatedly garnered headlines in recent years, most notably when about 600 third-country nationals protested over the water supply being cut.

Last February, the owner of the complex was investigated by police on suspicion of violating an interior ministry decree prohibiting the settlement of additional migrants in the village.

The police operation comes just days after repeated armed robberies took place in Chlorakas – with one kiosk robbed twice in two days.

In January, police arrested a suspect who was accused of entering a house and attempted to steal a €4,000 watch from a woman who was asleep.