Third suspect in armored truck heist caught

A third suspect in Nicosia's money van heist outside a local bakery has been apprehended in Paphos, after the man reportedly sought help from a farmer who notified police.

According to local media, 33-year-old Nigerian national Elochukwu Azubuike was arrested on Tuesday morning near Kouklia, Paphos district.

The suspect, who was sighted in the area last week but managed to evade capture, was wanted by police in connection with an armored truck robbery in Nicosia.

The Cyprus News Agency reported that the man was sighted again by a police patrol car on Tuesday morning around 7:30am. Additional media reports said a farmer had notified authorities after the suspect sought work at a local farm, while the report could not be verified.

Two other Nigerian nationals aged 26 and 31 have been remanded in custody in connection with last week's cash-in-transit robbery, which took place outside a bakery in Nicosia's western burough of Agios Dhometios.

On May 18, reports said three black males targeted a G4S cash delivery van outside the bakery, striking a guard on the arms with a metal rod and managing to grab a bag of money with €50,000 in cash.

Two hours later in the afternoon, according to a police statement, law enforcement officers flagged a westbound taxi on the Limassol-Paphos highway, with three suspects jumping out and starting to flee. Police officers fired warning shots and two suspects were arrested on the spot.

Two years ago, Paphos became the focus in another investigation into a similar incident, when two hooded men attempted to rob a cash-in-transit van in broad daylight in Limassol. Both incidents, the attempted heist in Limassol and the robbery in Nicosia, were linked to Paphos investigations.

No other suspects have been named in the Agios Dhometios case.