Four suspects accused of participating in an alleged criminal organisation were remanded by the Larnaca district court on Thursday after police outlined claims of threats, intimidation, fraud and financial exploitation involving a 77-year-old complainant in a case spanning several years.
The suspects include a 44-year-old businessman from Larnaca, a 42-year-old accountant and businessman from Nicosia, a 45-year-old woman from the Larnaca district and a 49-year-old remanded prisoner currently facing separate criminal proceedings.
Police allege the four played different roles in a coordinated scheme which targeted the elderly man between 2021 and 2025.
Details presented before the court emerged through testimony from investigators who described the case as a complex organised crime syndicate involving allegations of extortion, coercion, and threats of violence.
According to police, the complainant reported in March that he had been pressured over a number of years into handing over substantial sums of money and agreeing to transactions against his will.
He alleged that repeated threats left him fearful for his safety and compelled him to comply with demands made by individuals connected to the group.
The court heard that part of the investigation centres on property transactions involving land in Pyla and Anglisides.
According to the complaint, on December 1, 2021, the complainant and his son-in-law sold two properties to a company whose director is the 42-year-old businessman from Nicosia.
Each seller allegedly received €250,000 upon signing the agreements.
Investigators told the court that a month later the complainant met the 44-year-old businessman, who allegedly introduced him to an unknown individual and claimed the properties had already been resold for €8.5 million, generating a commission of €250,000.
The complainant alleged he became fearful due to the conduct of the unknown person and handed over €40,000 in cash.
Police further alleged that in 2022 the two businessmen persuaded the complainant to become involved in a betting agency in Larnaca, during which he allegedly paid €25,000 and later a further €24,000.
Investigators claim he received no corresponding benefit from the arrangement.
Particular attention was also directed towards the alleged role of the 45-year-old woman.
According to the complaint, she developed a personal relationship with the complainant around 2020.
Police allege that after learning of the relationship, the 44-year-old businessman and the 49-year-old suspect told the complainant they could arrange a romantic relationship between the pair.
Investigators said the complainant subsequently paid €22,000 allegedly for medical treatment relating to the woman’s child and later another €22,000 connected to plans for a trip to Greece.
Police claim that over a period of approximately two years the suspects obtained around €100,000 from the complainant through similar requests and threats.
The 49-year-old suspect was repeatedly identified in police testimony as a figure who allegedly used intimidation and threats to obtain money from the complainant.
Among the allegations presented to the court was a claim that the suspect showed the elderly man a video depicting acts of violence and torture while warning him of the consequences of refusing to pay.
According to police testimony, the suspect allegedly told the complainant, “See what I do to those who don’t pay.”
The court was also told that the complainant reported receiving direct death threats. In one alleged incident, he claimed the suspect warned him, “I’ll shoot you.”
Police further examined reports that shots had been fired outside the complainant’s residence.
According to the complaint, after he refused a request to provide a further €5,000 to the woman, an unknown person allegedly fired a shot outside his home a week later.
The complainant said he found a bullet outside the property the following day and handed it to police.
He also alleged that he observed a vehicle resembling one linked to the suspect leaving the area shortly after the incident.
Investigators told the court that independent testimony indicates the complainant received a total of €758,000 from the businessman from Nicosia by June 2022.
However, police allege the businessman later sought to alter the original agreement and that the remaining suspects pressured the complainant into accepting revised terms and signing related documents.
The court heard that cheques allegedly issued by the businessman from Nicosia were kept in the office of the businessman from Larnaca.
Police also informed the court that financial inquiries had raised questions regarding assets acquired by the 44-year-old businessman over recent years.
Investigators told the court that substantial investigative work remains outstanding, including the collection of approximately 50 additional statements from relatives, associates and other individuals connected to the suspects and the complainant.
Defence lawyer Antonis Demetriou challenged the police application for detention and questioned the reliability of the complainant’s allegations.
He argued that the elderly man is himself facing a pending criminal case and claimed there were concerns regarding his cognitive condition.
Citing the seriousness of the allegations and the ongoing investigation, police requested detention orders for the suspects.
The court ordered the detention of the 44-year-old businessman, the 45-year-old woman and the 49-year-old remanded prisoner for eight days, while granting a six-day detention order for the 42-year-old businessman from Nicosia.
The case forms part of a wider police effort targeting alleged organised criminal activity in Larnaca and follows a series of investigations connected to extortion, violence and criminal networks operating in the district.
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