TWO Syrian illegal immigrants shot themselves in the foot when they stole a moped that had just been used in a robbery in the centre of Limassol.
It all started when a thief snatched a bag with around £18,000 belonging to a petrol station owner on his way to the bank to deposit the money.
The robber snatched the bag from his hand, then fled on a scooter, which was driven by a second man.
The incident happened at around 10am on Makarios Avenue in Mesa Yitonia.
The owner, Akis Gregoriou immediately notified the police, who scrambled the special motorcycle unit, the ‘Z’ Squad, to the scene.
Gregoriou described the perpetrators as foreign and police soon spotted a pair on a moped fitting the description.
Reports said the two suspects dumped the moped in a bid to escape arrest but they took the keys with them.
They were arrested, but refused to say anything to officers, until late on Monday night, when police, acting on a tip, arrested the real perpetrators.
Information given by an eyewitness led to the arrest of three Iranians and the recovery of the stolen cash.
The witness, Costas Charalambous, told the police about the strange activity of three individuals right after the robbery.
Charalambous said he saw the perpetrators board a specific vehicle.
“I thought their movement was suspicious and I kept the licence number,” Charalambous said.
Police found out the car belonged to an Iranian man who along with two compatriots, allegedly carried out the robbery.
The witness spotted the two men after they abandoned the black moped they used to flee the scene.
This was the same black moped the two Syrians decided to steal, only to get caught by police and subsequently deported after confessing they were also illegal.
Meanwhile, one of the Iranians confessed and led authorities to the places they had stashed the money after sharing it.
Dozens of officers and fire fighters were used to search for the money.
One of the suspects hid part of the loot inside a pipe on a veranda, police said.
The three men were yesterday remanded in custody for eight days, while Charalambous was honoured for his contribution in solving the case.
“It would have been hard to arrest the perpetrators without his contribution; our work as police with the help of the public could become a shield against any illegality,” Limassol police director Andreas Iatropoulos said.
