Suspect arrested in rural Nicosia murder

Police have arrested a male suspect in the fatal stabbing of a local woman inside her vehicle in rural Nicosia, while another female passenger was said to have left the car prior to the crime.

(Click here for an update to the story)

The man, a 40-year-old foreign national, was apprehended Monday afternoon shortly after the murder, following information that a male hitchhiker got a ride in the victim’s vehicle. Police believe the motive was money, after they found €1500 cash in the man’s possession with some of the bills having traces of blood.

According to police, the victim was a 56-year-old Greek Cypriot woman who worked at a grocery store in Kalopanayiotis. She was driving home for her lunch break with another female passenger when she picked up a man who apparently flagged the car down. Knews understands the victim had the money from the cash register in her car, possibly to deposit the amount in the bank.

The driver was found stabbed to death inside her car, around 1:15pm, when a concerned citizen spotted a woman unconscious inside the vehicle.

The identity of the other female passenger was not immediately known, while media reports said she got off prior to the attack. Other reports also said the man had bought a plane ticket out of Cyprus with a flight booked for Monday evening. 

Authorities are also reportedly evaluating a tip that said the suspect had bought a knife in the morning, the day of the murder.