Police appear to the closing in on one or more suspects connected to the killing of a 24-year-old man from Pakistan, who was found face down in a plot in Strovolos after being shot in the back in Potamia.
Meanwhile, police are evaluating CCTV footage and seem to have found one of three cars involved in the incident – the rental car police reportedly shot at in Potamia.
Sources told the Cyprus News Agency that Pakistan’s authorities had requested to be briefed and that this would be done through the diplomatic route.
The same sources said Islamabad’s briefing would be made on the basis of information available so far.
Politis said the footage has been taken from roads leading to the open space where the body of the 24-year-old was found and other central areas in Nicosia leading to Acropolis and Potamia area.
Finding the rental car and the driver or person in whose name the car was rented is expected to shed some light on the case, particularly how and why the man’s body was left in Acropolis, Strovolos.
Police on Saturday handed in the report requested by the health ministry, after the coroner had initially ruled out foul play but changed his mind four days later when he extracted a bullet from the dead man’s back.
Initially, the coroner had said that what proved to be bullet wound had been caused by a sharp stone.
Investigators are looking into whether the victim was a passenger in the car with other people and if the bullet wound is consistent with the bullet holes found in the car.
The rental car is considered to be an important part of the puzzle, Politis said. The other two vehicles were one with a registration number from the north and one without number plates.
Sources told Politis that arrest warrants may be issued on Tuesday against one or more people connected with the case.
The scene at Potamia was combed and four 9mm cartridges were found, matching the police officers’ service weapons. Forensic tests pointed to the gun used.
No blood traces were found in Potamia.
Police are also investigating whether the migrant was still alive when he was dumped in Acropolis.
The victim has been identified and his passport was found on him, paving the way for police to call people he knew to testify.
Other documents found at the scene are being examined to determine whether this was a case of illegal trafficking of migrants from the north to the south via the buffer zone.
Police HQ have not suspended the officers involved in the January 6 incident, as they appear to have carried out their duties, informed the police about what happened in Potamia and followed protocol.
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on the government amid calls for the resignation of the justice minister and the police chief.
Announcements by political parties insinuating a police cover-up in the case are premature and utterly unsubstantiated, Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis said on Monday.
Responding to calls for his resignation over the incident – on the heels of a spate of police embarrassments – Hartsiotis said his resignation would not improve matters.
“My focus remains to work with the new police management and to improve the state of the police force,” Hartsiotis said. The minister added that “no police force in the world has been able to completely eliminate corruption.”
He added that he “had not known the depth” of the problems within the service when he took over the portfolio, but he had been aware of the issues, having served in the justice system as a lawyer for years.
Hartsiotis declared himself ready to rid the police of “decades-long pathologies” likening the fight against corruption to the “removal of cancerous tumours” which he said would be carried out “without mercy” for wrongdoers.
The minister defended that correct action had been taken by authorities in response to the unfolding incident, which would bring to light any potential corruption or police malfeasance, noting the investigations underway: an internal police investigation; an independent investigation ordered by the attorney general, assigned to senior state lawyer Ninos Kekkos; and a separate probe ordered by the council of ministers into the conduct of the medical examiner, to be undertaken by agriculture ministry director Andreas Gregoriou.
Political parties, however, have called the appointment of independent investigators drawn from the ranks of the state services dubious and claimed they would compromise the credibility of any findings.
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