TWO PAKISTANI men were yesterday remanded in custody on suspicion of raping two Vietnamese women at the weekend.
Police are still searching for a third Pakistani man suspected of raping a third Vietnamese woman.
The Nicosia district court heard the alleged rape took place on the evening of Valentine’s Day in an isolated spot just outside Nicosia.
CID officer Constantinos Sophocleous told the court police had received information about the rape after two of the three women reported what had happened to them at Nicosia general hospital’s Accident and Emergency department.
The two women told police they had been at a friend’s house in Limassol on February 14 when one of the women had received a phone call from a Pakistani man who arranged to give them a lift back to Nicosia. When the car arrived to pick the three women up, three men were already sitting in the car including the suspects aged 23 and 27.
The court heard the 23-year-old was driving the car while his older compatriot was his passenger.
On the way back to Nicosia, near Tseri village, the three men allegedly pulled over into an isolated spot and raped the three women. The 27-year-old then stole the women’s mobile phones and a camera. The three women were put back in the car and driven to Strovolos where they were abandoned by the suspects.
Police traced the suspects thanks to the car registration number given to them by the women. The first suspect allegedly confessed to the crimes and named his two accomplices, Sophocleous said. The second suspect also confessed to the crimes under questioning and said he had taken the women’s camera and phones.
A search of the 27-year-old second suspect’s home uncovered the missing items. During the investigation police also determined he had been in Cyprus illegally since July 2007.
The two men were taken to CID police headquarters where they were both identified by the female victims as the rapist of one. The second suspect allegedly raped the third woman whose identity has yet to be discovered, Sophocleous said.
The court heard police have already taken 18 statements and need to take another 50 from both the suspects’ and victims’ environment. Investigators are also looking for a third Pakistani man for whom they only have a first name because the two suspects could not provide any other details regarding his identity.
The two men, who were dressed in tracksuits and stood with their arms crossed, did not have legal representation and did not object to their remand. Only the younger of the two told the court he was a student and that if he was taken into custody he would miss classes.
Taking everything into account the judge ruled that the two men should be remanded in custody for eight days.
