Armed robbers in failed attack on Pissouri co-op

ARMED robbers yesterday attacked the Pissouri co-operative bank, but were scared off and ran away after the bank’s only employee made noise when she threw coins on the floor.

The incident took place at 10am yesterday at Pissouri village’s co-op, located in the seafront area. Two hooded men entered the bank, and one of them pulled out a gun, which he pointed at the bank’s sole employee. The robbers, native Greek speakers, told the bank clerk they would lock her in the toilet. At that point, the bank clerk resisted and made a sudden move, which caused a cash-till full of coins to fall on the floor, making a lot of noise. Alarmed by the noise, the two men ran away with nothing.

They were seen fleeing the scene on a small motorbike that was later found abandoned and burned at a close distance from the bank. Police then launched a manhunt to find the two men, using a police helicopter to search the area. The two men have not been identified, but are believed to be Cypriot.

Police reportedly have a lead as one of the two men left behind a glove that he was wearing in the attempted robbery. The glove will be examined for fingerprints.

Meanwhile, another robbery – this time at a kiosk – occurred in Limassol a few hours earlier. At 2.30am, two hooded and armed robbers hit a kiosk on Vasileos Pavlou Street in the Ayios Ioannis area.

The two hooded men, who were wearing dark clothes and held knives, went up to the kiosk employee, a foreign woman by herself in the shop, and threatening her with the knives, ordered her to “give money”. The woman opened the till and one of the robbers took €200 in notes and coins. Both robbers then fled the scene.

The two are described as 1.75m tall with long hair; one of them has a normal build, and the other a strong built. Police are investigating, while a tape from the kiosk’s closed circuit camera surveillance will be examined by the police.

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