Escaped prisoners found in Larnaca

The two men who escaped from prison in the north last week were arrested in Larnaca on Saturday and are to be returned to the breakaway regime, it was reported on Sunday.

According to media reports in the north, the two fugitives, a 40-year-old permanent resident in the north and a 17-year-old from Turkmenistan, were located by authorities in the house of a Turkish Cypriot man in Larnaca on Saturday evening and will be handed over to authorities in the north.

The two men escaped last Wednesday night while assigned to take the garbage outside the grounds of the prison, taking advantage of the absence of prison guards. They were in custody pending trials for in connections with thefts and break-ins.

Authorities in the north had said they believed that the 40-year-old had fled south, but thought that the 17-year-old was hiding in the north. The men were believed to have crossed to the government controlled areas through a Nicosia military area.