36-year-old remanded following theft of memorial busts in Yermasoyia

The Limassol District Court has ordered a five-day remand for a 36-year-old Romanian national in connection with the theft of four bronze memorial busts and a plaque from a monument in Yermasoyia. The incident occurred between March 19 and 21, and the items are valued at approximately 20,000 euros. The busts depicted figures from the 1974 Turkish invasion: Sofronis Sofroniou, Trofimos Koulle, Evangelos Georgiou, and Christakis Agathokleous. Police arrested the suspect on March 25 after receiving information that he was attempting to sell one of the stolen items. During his arrest, the suspect claimed he found the bust by accident on the stairs of an underpass and denied any involvement in the initial theft. While one bust was recovered as evidence, investigations are ongoing to locate the remaining three stolen pieces. The police conducted a search of the suspect's residence with his consent, though no further stolen items were found.