Authorities are still looking for a 25-year-old man to shed light into the premediated murder case of a 35-year-old woman whose body was found in a Germasoya apartment early on Sunday.
The woman was found half-naked, bound and gagged on the ground of the Limassol apartment around 1am on Sunday, a few hours after she had allegedly arranged to meet the 25-year-old asylum seeker there.
A friend of the woman who was looking for her, together with the apartment manager, discovered the body and called the police.
The scene was immediately cordoned off.
State examiners Angeliki Papeta and Orthodoxos Orthodoxou then carried out an autopsy on the body, which showed the woman been strangled and that she was killed 4 to 7 hours before the examination.
A most mortem was also scheduled for 3.30pm at the Nicosia general hospital.
“From the on-site examinations, it was evident that it was a criminal act, since the victim was found tied with plastic cable ties, as well as other evidence found at the scene, immediately showed that it was a criminal act,” Limassol CID chief Lefteris Kyriakou said.
Evidence appears to be pointing to a political asylum seeker from Turkey, Erkan Alkan, aged 25, whose photo and information have been published on the official police website as well as to the exit points of the island, including the crossing points.
According to the police, the victim planned to meet the young man at the specific apartment where she was found between 8 and 11pm on Saturday to have sexual intercourse.
Asked if the perpetrator had prepared for the crime, Kyriakou said that “there seems to have been some premeditation and the offence of premeditated murder is being investigated.”
The woman, who was from Ukraine, was in Cyprus since last year.
Whoever had any information that can help locate the man, can contact the citizen’s line on 1460 or their nearest police station.
