Newsroom
Police are investigating two attempted kidnappings reported just days apart in Larnaca, with officials stressing that, despite the timing, the incidents do not appear to be connected.
The most recent case unfolded on Saturday, Nov. 22, when a 46-year-old Larnaca resident told police he was attacked outside his home around 5 p.m. According to his report, three men approached him, and one of them struck him with a bat while the group tried to force him into their vehicle.
Police arrested three suspects, aged 25, 34, and 46, after securing testimony linking them to the incident. All three appeared in court Monday and were ordered held for seven days.
Early indications suggest the attempted abduction stemmed from financial disputes, police sources said.
A separate, more complex case days earlier
The first attempted kidnapping was reported two days earlier, on Thursday, Nov. 20, when a 51-year-old former Ukrainian official called police after being attacked outside his home.
He told officers he noticed a suspicious commercial vehicle parked near the property while he was inside with a 36-year-old woman and a 72-year-old man. When he and the older man went outside to check it, three masked men allegedly jumped out and tried to drag him into the vehicle.
The two men fought back, forcing the attackers to flee. The suspects abandoned the vehicle at the scene, where officers later recovered a pistol, an empty magazine, and other evidence. The license plates were also found to belong to a different vehicle. Both the 51-year-old and the 72-year-old suffered minor injuries.
Police say the motives in the Ukrainian case remain wide open, with both political and financial angles under investigation. Two suspects, a Cypriot and a Russian, are currently wanted.
No connection, but heightened concern
Despite public speculation, authorities say the two attempted kidnappings show no signs of being linked. Investigators from the Larnaca Police Department are handling both cases, which remain active.
