Five men were on Saturday remanded for eight days for stealing transformers from the Cyprus Electricity Authority (EAC) and causing damage of over €100,000 in the past three months.

The suspects were arrested for 19 cases involving theft of transformers and causing malicious damage, police said.

The offences were carried out between November 17 last year and January 12 this year in the Nicosia district.

The arrests, which were made on Friday, concern two 42-year-old men, a 30-year-old and a 65-year-old, while a 30-year-old man was arrested on Saturday.

Police said the older suspect was arrested for receiving stolen goods, money laundering and selling scrap metal without a licence, while the other four suspects are being investigated for offences related to felony, theft, causing malicious damage and money laundering.