Two men appeared in court on Wednesday accused of aiding and abetting the murder of 45-year-old Ayca Alav in Nicosia’s walled city in December.

Alav was found dead at the Hit Bit suitcase shop in north Nicosia, which she owned, on December 22. Following her murder, her two suspected killers are believed to have escaped to the Republic.

Police inspector Huseyin Zaifer explained in court that the two men brought before the court on Wednesday stand accused of helping them escape to the Republic.

He said the two who committed the murder accosted Alev at the Hit Bet shop and tied her hands and feet behind her back with a seatbelt and an antenna cable.

Then, he said, they covered her face with duct tape, killing her.

After having killed her, the pair made their way to the bureau de change Alav owned, which is located near the Kyrenia gate, from where they stole an “undetermined amount” of cash.

After the money had been stolen, the pair who appeared in court today took the killers to a location with the aim of helping them escape to the Republic.

In return for their troubles, police say one of the pair received €50 in cash, and the other €100.

They added that they had successfully arrested the pair after examining CCTV footage. They were both remanded in custody for five further days.