Police are hunting a 38-year-old man after officers found a military G3 rifle, a Czech-made weapon resembling a Kalashnikov, a German-made pistol and various calibre ammunition hidden in his grandmother’s house in Oroklini.
The weapons were discovered on Wednesday afternoon after police raided the home of Charalambos Antoniou, 38, from Oroklini, and the house where his grandmother lives, according to a police statement. Officers from various departments carried out the raids based on specific intelligence about the weapons. The arms were found concealed in the grandmother’s home.
An arrest warrant was issued for Antoniou, but he had not been located by Thursday afternoon, police said.
The suspect has previously come to police attention over serious matters, according to police sources.
Investigators have sent the weapons for ballistic testing to determine whether they were used recently in any criminal activity in Larnaca or elsewhere. Officers are also conducting DNA tests on the recovered items and examining CCTV footage in Oroklini to trace Antoniou’s movements and contacts in recent days.
Police said the case is linked to organised crime.
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