Newsroom
Police in the Paphos district are investigating a case of premeditated murder following the fatal stabbing of a 41-year-old man shortly before midnight on Saturday in the Pegeia area.
At around 11:40 p.m., police received information about a violent confrontation outside a residence in Pegeia. Officers who responded found a 30-year-old man outside his home and his car immobilized approximately 50 metres away, bearing front-end damage and a shattered rear right window. The area was immediately cordoned off and placed under guard.
Shortly after midnight, members of the Paphos Motorcycle Unit were stopped by a vehicle carrying five people, who reported that one of the passengers had been stabbed and asked for assistance in reaching the hospital. Police escorted the vehicle to Paphos General Hospital, where it was sealed and later transferred to police headquarters for forensic examination.
The injured man was identified as Georgi Marinov Ivanov, 41, from Bulgaria. He was found with a knife with a black handle lodged in the right side of his abdomen. He was rushed to the emergency intensive care unit and taken into surgery, but succumbed to his injuries at around 4:00 a.m. His body was transferred to the hospital mortuary, with a post-mortem examination scheduled for Monday.
Another man, aged 29, who was also in the vehicle, sustained friction burns and abrasions to various parts of his body and was hospitalized. Three additional compatriots were present in the vehicle but did not require treatment.
According to investigators, the victim and the other occupants had traveled from Limassol to meet the suspect, who is a relative of the victim, in an attempt to resolve a misunderstanding that had arisen days earlier. During the meeting, the suspect reportedly parked his car directly in front of the group. After a brief exchange, the victim allegedly struck the suspect’s car with a piece of wood, shattering the rear window.
Police allege that the suspect, who was holding a knife with a large blade, immediately moved toward the victim and stabbed him in the abdomen, leaving the knife embedded. The victim collapsed shortly afterward. The suspect then allegedly struck the 29-year-old man with his vehicle, collided with another parked car, exited his vehicle, and fled the scene.
An arrest warrant was issued, and the suspect was apprehended in Pegeia at 5:20 a.m. on Sunday. Clothing worn at the time was seized as evidence. During questioning, the 30-year-old admitted to stabbing his uncle but claimed he did not intend to kill him.
He appeared before the Paphos District Court on Sunday, facing charges including premeditated murder, causing grievous bodily harm, and illegal possession of a knife. The court approved an eight-day remand in custody to allow police to continue their investigation, which remains at an early stage. Authorities plan to take additional witness statements, conduct forensic examinations of the scene, and carry out searches of vehicles and premises linked to the case.
The investigation is being handled by the Paphos Criminal Investigation Department.
