Police on Friday arrested eight inmates in connection with the killing of 41-year-old Tansu Cidan, who was found dead in his cell in the Nicosia Central Prison on Thursday.
According to police chief Stelios Papatheodorou the individuals have been linked with evidence and testimonies to the killing.
Cidan, a Turkish Cypriot was found badly beaten on Thursday evening in his cell by other inmates. He had multiple bruises and injuries on his body and face.
A Central Prison announcement said that Cidan reported present in the last roll-call of the day, which points to the fact that the killing occurred later in the evening. Police and Central Prison authorities have reviewed footage from the prison’s surveillance system to establish what had happened.
Cidan was serving an eight-year sentence. He was arrested in April 2022, for the possession of 650 grams of methamphetamine with intent to supply. Police also found a pistol, an air gun and a number of bullets in his Nicosia home.
Previously, he had served three years in the UK for financial extortion.
Also, in December 2021 he was named as a suspect in an armed attack against another person in Kyrenia and was wanted by “police” in the occupied areas. Then, he escaped to the areas controlled by the Republic.
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Inmate killed on Thursday night in Central Prison