Man pulls a fast one at an army checkpoint

Nicosia police and the military are investigating an incident close to the buffer zone, where a driver broke through an army checkpoint and disappeared into the south.

According to daily Phileleftheros, a male driver approached two soldiers in Aglandjia, east Nicosia, who were standing guards at an army checkpoint on Friday early morning.

The man, described as a local Greek Cypriot, came at the checkpoint around 4:30am and exited his vehicle. He asked the soldiers to let him through but they told him nobody was allowed to pass without a special permit.

At that point, the man walked over to the gate, removed the chain, got back into his vehicle, and drove off into the south without being stopped. 

Phileleftheros reported that the two soldiers were able to identify the make and colour of the vehicle but failed to get his licence plates.

Cops are now looking for the vehicle while investigators questioned the soldiers, who described to police officers the whole encounter in detail.

It was not clear whether authorities had security camera footage relating to the incident.

According to Phileleftheros, the driver was believed to be a local hunter who may have entered the buffer zone from an unmonitored area in nearby Geri to hunt illegally and may have chosen to exit from Aglandjia to avoid getting caught.

Police did not issue a report regarding the incident or whether there were suspicions of any illegal activity in the area.