Serial haircutter says it was for a good cause

An Egyptian man who admitted to cutting hair from unsuspecting women in Protaras says he was trying to help children with cancer back in his country.

According to local media, a 23-year-old male suspect who confessed to being the mystery serial haircutter of Protaras, told police investigators that he collecting hair to send back to cancer clinics to help children with leukemia.

The man reportedly made the confession following his arrest over the weekend, when a concerned citizen alerted authorities and he was arrested on possession of a blunt instrument used to assault someone.

In the last couple of years, a series of odd incidents had taken place mainly along a coastal sidewalk in Protaras, where the suspect would ambush unsuspecting women and chop off some of their hair or pony tails. He would then escape on his bicycle with the suspect telling police he would take the bundles of hair back to his place in order to send them to leukemia patients in Egypt.

Last year, police said they did not have any indication that the suspect had intentions to rob, sexually assault or otherwise harm the women, besides chopping off their hair.

The suspect was remanded in custody for four days, facing charges from crimes in seven desperate incidents allegedly committed between June 2017 and July 2019.