Farmer gunned down in apparent feud

LIMASSOL police were yesterday investigating the murder of a 53-year-old man, Kypros Andreou Paphitis, who was gunned down at point blank range as he was leaving his farm in Polemidhia.

According to police, the assailants fired 12 rounds at Paphitis, six of which wounded him on various parts of his body. Paphitis managed to get out of his car and crawl for a few metres before dying.

Police said the murder could be a part of an ongoing vendetta among farmers in the area, which has seen a spate of arson attacks and other malicious acts between farmers.

Two years ago, animals were stolen from Paphitis’ farm and his dog was tortured to death; in one incident, shots were fired at his farm.

The victim’s son, Costas Paphitis, blamed police for not protecting his father, saying he had often expressed fears for his life.

“The police should know because he often told them he was afraid someone would kill him,” he said.

“The man was fired at in the past, here is the result of the protection he received from them.”

Yesterday afternoon, police arrested a 29-year-old man in connection with the case. The suspect had reportedly argued with the victim recently.

Police said the suspect denied having anything to do with the murder. He is expected to appear before Limassol court today.

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.