Man calls police, gets arrested on marriage fraud

A man who went to police to report a theft in his apartment ended up being arrested on marriage fraud charges, while his wife and another male are also wanted by authorities.

According to police, a 28-year-old male was arrested early morning Tuesday, after filing a theft report. Sources said €2000 in cash and his mobile phone were said to have been stolen from his apartment.

Media sources described the man as a Pakistani national, who got married to a Romanian woman in October 2018 and had been living in Larnaca.

Police said officers became suspicious while questioning the man over his theft complaint, while an official statement later said the 28-year-old appeared to have committed marriage fraud in order to remain in the Republic of Cyprus.

Media reports said the man came to Cyprus on a student visa and got married last year, prior to his visa expiration. A woman from Romania, believed to be the suspect’s wife, along with another male from Pakistan, are wanted by police in connection with the case.

But police told Knews on Tuesday that the man in custody and the two others are all suspected of marriage fraud, adding that it would be up to the investigators to determine how they would handle the theft complaint.

The local police station in Aradippou is investigating the case, while the names of the two other suspects have been placed on a stop list.