Police have made a third arrest in connection with the killing of a cat with a firearm in Paphos. The suspect is a 16-year-old who is allegedly involved in the case.
Earlier, police had arrested two 18-year-olds.
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The first suspect was a passerby in the neighborhood who located and killed a kitten using a firearm that belonged to a relative of his who has since passed away, an 18-year-old National Guard member in Paphos, while the second 18-year-old was located and arrested at noon on Tuesday as he was present and participated in some way in the commission of the offenses.
It is recalled that on October 4, a 56-year-old Greek Cypriot reported to the police that he had found his cat dead outside his home the previous day.
Members of the Animal Unit and the Paphos Central Police Station went to the scene that same day to investigate. On Monday, October 5, a necropsy was performed on the animal, during which it was determined that it had 13 firearm pellets in its body.
During the police investigation at the scene, footage from a closed-circuit surveillance camera was secured, which captured the perpetrator’s vehicle; this led to the identification of an 18-year-old, while the vehicle belongs to a close relative of his. The firearm belongs to a close relative of his who has since passed away.
The 18-year-old National Guard member was arrested and brought before the Paphos District Court, where a four-day detention order was issued. During a search of his home, a number of items of evidence were found and seized.
Mr. Nikolaou states that the 18-year-old’s presence in the area was coincidental and that he was simply driving by in his vehicle, having no connection to the 56-year-old complainant.
The 18-year-old has confessed to committing the offenses related to the illegal possession and transport of a hunting rifle and explosive materials, the killing of animals, and firing a gun in a residential area.
The Paphos Criminal Investigation Department is continuing its investigation.
