Paphos church thief suspect sought

Paphos police on Wednesday said they are looking for a 25-year-old man who is suspected of stealing over €4,500 from a church in Yeroskipou earlier this month.

The man’s 24-year-old wife has been arrested in connection with the same case.

The burglary, which occurred on the evening of February 2, was reported the next day by a priest who noticed someone had broken in the office of the Ayia Paraskevi church in Yeroskipou.

Paphos police’s Michalis Nicolaou said initial examinations revealed that entry was gained through a breached wooden window. Among the stolen items were approximately €5,000 in cash, believed to be contributions, as well as two pairs of gold cufflinks belonging to the clergyman.

On Tuesday, Nicolaou said, police received information implicating the 25-year-old suspect in the case.

Paphos CID officers conducted a search of the suspect’s residence in the presence of his 24-year-old wife. During the search, authorities uncovered a bag containing the stolen cufflinks and approximately €4,700 in cash, suspected to be the money stolen from the church’s office.

The 24-year-old woman was arrested while the man remains at large.