Police defend their actions as suspects in gangland murder released

The police investigation into the murder case of Panayiotis Kallitsionis was carried out on the basis of witness evidence, the police said on Tuesday.

Responding to criticism from the lawyer representing the suspects in the case Antonis Demetriou, Police Spokesman Christos Andreou said “in this case, the police were called to investigate a very serious incident, that of premeditated murder, in which one of our fellow citizens was killed”.

Last week, two Famagusta men were remanded in custody for eight days on suspicion of killing the 29-year-old on June 25 in what appears to be a gangland hit.

Panayiotis Kallitsionis, aka Valentinos was gunned down outside his father’s house in Ormidhia at around 11pm on June 25.

Andreou added that: “during the investigation, testimonies were obtained against the two suspects and arrest warrants were issued… based on the testimonies submitted to court.”

The two suspects were released on Tuesday as their detention orders expired.

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