Police investigating murder after burnt man found in car

BRITISH BASES (SBA) police were yesterday investigating the murder of a man found burnt in a car near the Ormidhia coast in Larnaca.

The charred body was found on Friday night sitting in the driver’s seat of a car but it was not initially clear how he died.

A post mortem yesterday determined that the cause of death was head injuries due to gunshot wounds, acting deputy divisional commander Dhekelia Andreas Pitsillides said.

“As a result of this development, the SBA police is now treating this as a serious murder investigation,” Pitsillides said.

A police team tasked with the investigation worked through the night and Saturday, collecting and assessing all information and intelligence “and are taking the appropriate course of action aiming to resolve this serious crime,” Pitsillides said.

SBA police had received information that a car was on fire in the coastal area of Ormidia at 10pm on Friday.

“The Fire Service and Dhekelia Bases Police responded immediately, and arriving at the scene, the fire was extinguished and so was a fire that started in nearby fields, just in time to prevent it from spreading,” Pitsillides said.

“As soon as the fire was extinguished, it was discovered that there was a charred body in the car’s driver’s seat,” he added. “The scene was immediately cordoned off by Dhekelia police and experts were called in to investigate.”

Investigations led to the owner of the vehicle, a 34-year-old Ormidia resident, who said he had lent his car to an acquaintance from Larnaca. The 34-year-old was kept in for questioning.

He said the identity will be established using DNA testing.

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