Gypsies crash into bishop’s car

TWO Turkish Cypriot gypsies have been detained after fleeing the scene of an accident in a Paphos village on Sunday.

The incident happened at the village of Emba, when a car driven by a gypsy approached the area where officials, among them Bishop Chrysostomos of Paphos, were placing wreaths at the monument of 11 EOKA fighters.

A police officer handling the traffic directed the driver to use a different route, but the man mistook the gesture as a signal to stop for a check.

Apparently fearing arrest since it later transpired he had no driver’s licence, the man sped off but in doing so hit the bishop’s Mercedes and almost mowed down the police officer.

Police were immediately notified and the two passengers were arrested shortly after in the village of Mouttalos.

Earlier, Interior Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou had said most of the gypsies crossing from the occupied areas only stayed for long enough to collect government benefits.

The minister said around 320 gypsies – around a quarter of their total population in Cyprus – were currently living in the free areas.

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