Two men suspected of killing two others in a car in Limassol and setting the vehicle on fire were remanded again for eight days on Saturday as they both blamed each other for the murders.

According to police, the two suspects, 19 and 23, are believed to be involved in the murder of Andreas Kouzoupis, 39, and Slovakian Dabid Chmelar, 38, who were found shot in the head and dumped in a car that was set ablaze on July 31.

The court heard that according to the police, drugs were included in the investigation, since the 19-year-old pointed to one of the victims as their dealer.

The suspects have been giving contradicting allegations of the night, with both pointing a finger at the other for shooting the victims.

During a CCTV check of a specific petrol station located 6.7 kilometres from the scene, the suspects were recorded at 23.59 entering the petrol station in the 19-year-old’s car coming from the north side of the road and parking next to a pump.

Subsequently, after they both got out of the car, the 19-year-old took an empty water bottle and a plastic oil container from a wastebasket, which they filled with gasoline, as well as filling the car and left, heading to the scene. A fuel supply receipt was also taken from the petrol station showing the purchase of 6.63 litres of fuel worth €10.

According to the footage, the clothes and footwear worn by the suspects appear to be the same as those seized during searches of their homes and are expected to undergo testing.

On August 2, information was secured that on July 30, shots were heard in an area of Arakapas village, at the location of the village water tank.

Members of the CID and the Moni police station went to the spot, where during the search they found a substance resembling blood and other evidence, as well as the mobile phone of Kouzoupis.

On August 3, the 19-year-old gave a voluntary statement, during which he stated that he and Kouzoupis were neighbours and knew each other.

According to the 19-year-old, during July when the second suspect, 23, moved to the village of Dierona, Kouzoupis was transporting drugs to the teen almost every day, which he gave to the 23-year-old, as well as to another person, whom he did not want to name.

At the end of the month, according to his allegations, Kouzoupis began to pressure and threaten him for the money the 23-year-old suspect owed him, as well as asking him for the sum of €800 for a megaphone they agreed to sell him, which the second suspect eventually refused to buy.

After informing the 23-year-old of the threats, the 19-year-old suspect decided to give him his shotgun to shoot Kouzoupis, he claimed. He arranged the rendezvous at the murder scene on July 30 and that evening, after picking up the 23-year-old in his car, they drove to the location, where they waited for Kouzoupis, who had said a second individual would be with him.

While waiting, they saw a car approaching and both exited the car, with the 19-year-old claiming that the 23-year-old was holding the shotgun, in which he placed two bullets, then shot Kouzoupis as soon as he got out of the car.

Immediately, according to the allegations, he shot the Slovakian who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the car.

Next, the 19-year-old allegedly pushed the second victim into the passenger seat and then the two of them lifted Kouzoupis off the ground and put him in the back seats of the car.

However, the 23-year-old has given a conflicting statement saying that the 19-year-old was the shooter. He added that after shooting the men they went to the petrol station where they put petrol in the bottle used to set the car alight after the murder.

The 23-year-old also said they then went back to the scene of the shooting and covered the blood with dirt.

Both suspects have shown police the scenes of the crime and given conflicting versions of the story.

Kouzoupis’ body was identified first, about a day after the crime, while Chmelar’s body was identified on Friday.

Limassol CID is leading the investigation, with authorities currently gathering and analysing CCTV footage from the area to piece together the victims’ final movements.

Last week, Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis and police chief Stelios Papatheodorou were briefed on the developments at Limassol’s central police station.