Man held for alleged dining and dashing

Police in Paphos have apprehended a 27-year-old man as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of securing credit by false representations. The arrest stems from an incident where the suspect purportedly failed to settle a bill at a local restaurant.

According to Michael Nicolaou, Assistant Police Operations Manager in Paphos, the incident occurred on March 19 around 9:00 p.m. A 44-year-old restaurant owner reported that a male patron had refused to pay his bill in cash after his attempt to settle the transaction with a bank card was unsuccessful.

Upon receiving the report, members of the Paphos Criminal Investigation Department (CID) responded to the scene. Nicolaou stated that the customer declined to provide his personal details, prompting his arrest for identification purposes.

Subsequent inquiries revealed that the individual, holding an Italian identity card, had allegedly entered the Republic of Cyprus through the occupied territories. An arrest warrant was issued against him for securing credit by false representations, leading to his re-arrest later that evening. He is currently in police custody pending further investigation.

[With information from CNA]