Suspect in murder of Turkish Cypriot businessman remanded

A man wanted for the murder of Turkish Cypriot businessman Gökhan Naim, 52, was remanded on Saturday for three days by a court in the north, after being handed over by Greek Cypriot police.

İmran Arşad, a Pakistani national, was handed over to the Turkish Cypriot police on Friday by the bicommunal technical committee on crime and criminal matters.

Arşad had fled to the government-controlled areas after gunning down Naim outside his Nicosia residence in broad daylight in March.

On August 9, following the informal meeting of the two leaders, Greek Cypriot police handed over to the north another suspect believed to be involved in the shooting, Azmad Ali Virk. He is thought to have fled to the Republic together with Arşad.

Two more people were arrested by authorities in the north in connection with the shooting which shook the Turkish Cypriot community.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.