A CHINESE man was arrested in Limassol yesterday after he tried to steal cash from a bank teller using a conjuring trick, police said.
The man was arrested after another Chinese man robbed €1,000 from a Limassol Co-op earlier in the day using the same trick. Police are looking for the second suspect who is thought to be staying at a local hotel, police said.
The incident occurred at around 9.40am, said Limassol CID deputy chief Harilaos Savva.
Specifically a Chinese man visited a Co-op and asked to exchange €500 for €50 notes.
“When the employee gave him the notes using a magic trick he took a sum of money without the employee noticing him and put them in his pocket,” said Savva.
The suspect then told the teller he’d asked her for dollars not euros which allowed him to somehow skim €1,000.
When the teller finally realised what had happened she contacted police and a description of the suspect, secured from the branch’s CCTV camera, was dispatched to all Limassol bank branches.
Two hours later a Chinese man visited another branch and tried to exchange money in the same way. Police were immediately notified and a team of officers were dispatched to the scene as the man tried to leave the bank.
“Under questioning he confessed that he had stolen money from a certain bank in Larnaca and at this moment an operation is underway to locate a second person at a Limassol hotel,” said Savva.
Investigations revealed the duo had tried to get money from other banks using the same method but had been forced to abandon their efforts when the tellers asked for identification.
Police said the arrested suspect had been found with a large sum of money in his possession. The two Chinese men had arrived in Cyprus on May 20.
Measures for accident black spot
COMMUNICATION and Works Minister Nicos Nicolaides said yesterday measures to improve safety on the Kissonerga – Peyia road would be implemented as soon as possible.
The minister was speaking following an extraordinary Road Safety Unit meeting late yesterday afternoon to address Saturday night’s tragic road accident on the busy Paphos district road.
The accident occurred on a stretch of road with no street lighting and resulted in the deaths of Apostolos Constantinou, 14, and Nicholas Nicolaou, 13, from Chloraka, who were driving a stolen moped without headlights.
Nicolaides said plans to improve road safety along the road marked as a black spot on the road network were in the pipeline but that due to its high level of danger they would be completed as soon as possible.
Headquarters Traffic Police Chief Demetris Demetriou said in the meantime policing of the dangerous road would increase as a measure to reduce danger and to limit the number of accidents along the particular road.
Contraband furniture seized
THREE MILLION euros worth of furniture and household equipment was seized after police received an Interpol tip-off the illegally purchased merchandise had been shipped to Limassol port.
According to reports two Russians, a man and woman, bought the items using the credit cards belonging to a British company. The furniture and household items were shipped to Limassol port in two containers in the name of an inexistent recipient.
The duo is wanted for questioning by international police authorities.
Limassol CID deputy chief Harilaos Savva said police had been tipped off on May 20 regarding the containers’ arrival in Cyprus. He said they had been told the shipments contained furniture, household appliances and other items valued at €3 million, which two former employees of a British gold excavation company had purchased using company credit cards.
The containers were found at Limassol port and police are waiting for further instructions. They are also investigating whether Cyprus was the final destination for the two shipments. Meanwhile Interpol in London and Moscow are looking for the two suspects for charges of fraud.
