Newsroom
Three men have been arrested on breaking and entering charges following a failed attempt to steal a young female from the household who secretly got hitched to her beau without dad’s blessing.
Local media said three Syrian males on Thursday were remanded in custody for six days by a Limassol district judge following their arrest in connection with a home invasion on Sunday night.
According to details in a police report, five hooded persons, four males and one female, burglarized a residence in Mesa Geitonia, a midtown borough of Limassol.
The alleged break-in took place while a Syrian married couple and their 15-year-old daughter were in the living room.
Just five minutes after midnight the father heard a noise outside in the yard and went to the kitchen where he saw four males breaching the door and coming in.
The main suspect says he and four others went to the residence after he had received a phone call the previous day from his young lady, who asked him to come late at night and steal her away
A physical altercation ensued between the hooded men and the father, while his wife and the couple’s young daughter rushed to his aid.
The male intruders, along with an unidentified female who was with them and had her face covered, all left the residence, with the family notifying police about 15 minutes later.
Local media said the family believed the break-in was a bride stealing attempt as their other daughter, aged 18, was known to have a secret affair with a 24-year-male.
According to Philenews, the 24-year old man, who was questioned and arrested by police, said the family did not approve of the affair and so the young couple got secretly married.
The main suspect told investigators he and four others went to the residence after he had received a phone call the previous day from his young lady, who asked him to come late at night to steal her away.
Two other detained suspects purportedly admitted to investigators they had gone to the residence with their faces covered so that they wouldn’t be identified by security cameras.
They also said they went to help kidnap the bride because her parents wouldn’t let her live with their 24-year-old compatriot.
Both parents and their young daughter went to Limassol General Hospital where they were treated for minor injuries.
A police report said charges pending investigation included aggravated assault, felony burglary, obscuring face with intent to commit felony, destruction of property, as well as felony conspiracy and misdemeanor offenses.
Bride abductions were not uncommon in Cyprus in past decades, especially consensual kidnappings when a woman would have agreed to marriage and the custom was merely a formality out of respect for tradition.
But Cypriot officials have raised concerns over reports that young Syrian girls may come to Cyprus often on marriage contracts with family approval.
