Three suspects arrested on Thursday after a major operation by the police unit tackling organised crime have remained silent as investigators continue their inquiries into the activities of a criminal organisation in Cyprus.
A couple from Limassol appears, according to evidence held by investigators, to be an important link in the case. Police have already carried out financial and banking checks and are seeking further evidence to strengthen the case file.
The 50-year-old woman and her 49-year-old husband are being held for seven days, while a 45-year-old special constable is being held for eight days.
Investigators have seized the suspects’ mobile phones for forensic examination. Various documents found during searches at their home will also be assessed.
Police are expected to take a large number of statements from various people. Investigators’ next step is to secure key testimony on the origin of the money.
According to previous reporting by Phileleftheros, authorities have serious information from a reliable informant that the 50-year-old allegedly received large sums of money from associates of the wanted person. Police say part of the money was sent through money transfer apps, while other amounts were taken personally to Dubai or to the wanted person’s associates in Greece.
After the arrest of the 50-year-old and the 49-year-old, investigators found that a series of criminal acts had been committed in Limassol and appeared to be linked to people connected to the wanted person’s criminal organisation. According to testimony, the 49-year-old suspect allegedly asked some victims of criminal acts for money for protection.
The 50-year-old suspect is a cousin of the wanted person, who lives in Dubai. The same information says photographs of her, members of her family and the wanted person were found at her home.
From January 2025 to date, the 50-year-old suspect travelled twice to Dubai and four times to Thessaloniki, while the 49-year-old suspect travelled eight times to Thessaloniki.
Both suspects allegedly received sums of money and deposited them into third-party accounts, while also communicating frequently with people from organised crime through mobile phones and installed applications. In some cases, the 50-year-old allegedly deposited cash through ATMs in Limassol.
Police examinations showed that the suspects’ lifestyle did not match their financial profile, with property found that did not appear to be justified by their declared income and bank account activity.
According to a preliminary accountant’s report that examined the suspects’ financial data, the acquisition of vehicles worth a total of €269,500 was not justified. The report also identified cash deposits of €47,617.22 that did not stem from previous cash withdrawals, as well as unjustified inflows of €75,785.14 into the 50-year-old suspect’s bank accounts.
Unjustified inflows totalling €30,433.39 were also found in the 49-year-old husband’s Revolut account. The total amount of property cited in the report came to €423,335.
Photos, Dubai trips and suspicious deposits
During the search of the couple’s home, according to information obtained by Phileleftheros, officers found and seized €15,515 in cash, expensive designer women’s bags, expensive designer shoes, a family photograph with the wanted person, and mobile phones.
For one of the phones, the 50-year-old suspect initially falsely claimed it was not hers and belonged to one of her clients.
The investigation involving the 45-year-old special constable is continuing, with a large number of statements also expected to be taken in that case. According to authorities, his assets do not match his declared income as a police officer.
The special constable is not being investigated for the offence of participating in a criminal organisation. However, he is being investigated for offences relating to money laundering.