Body of missing lottery salesman found in Limassol harbour

THE body of a lottery ticket seller was fished out of Limassol harbour yesterday. More than six months after his family had reported him missing.
Greek Navy frogmen found 86-year-old Andreas Papas, known as Mornis, in his car lying on the seabed of Limassol harbour late on Thursday. The Greek divers were combing the area before the arrival of a Greek navy ship carrying the boat, Kyrenia Liberty, from Greece.
Yesterday morning, police officials, National Guard divers and the Port Authority combined their efforts to raise the double cabin car and Papas from the water. After several hours, the car was taken out the water. The son of the deceased, who arrived at the harbour when news of the discovery broke, identified the heavily decomposed body as that of Andreas Papas.
The lottery seller’s family reported Papas missing on December 9 last year. Deputy Chief of Police, Charalambos Koulentis, said criminal activity was initially ruled out, given that the seller’s bag was found in the car containing his money and lottery tickets.
Koulentis told reporters that the car’s engine had been switched on and the handbrake off when it plunged into the sea. Asked why police had failed to find Papas earlier given that they had conducted three searches in the same area, Koulentis replied that the car was continuously being moved by the currents created by huge ships moving through the area.
State pathologist Elena Antoniou will perform an autopsy on the body today.

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