Two still wanted in Nicosia drive-by shooting

Police say they are looking for two suspects in the Nicosia drive-by shooting, after obtaining additional evidence in the case.

CID Nicosia is looking for 40-year-old Greek Cypriot Josef “Sifis” Josef and 39-year-old Slovakian national Dydi Rudolf who went by the name Balazov Miroslav in Cyprus.

Police told Knews that arrest warrants have been issued for both men, while three other suspects are already in custody in connection with the suspected gangland drive-by on November 26. That was when two men on a scooter fired shots at the back of the vehicle belonging to 57-year-old Nicosia businessman Nikos Rodhotheou, who was not injured in the incident.

Investigators appear to be confident, according to daily Phileleftheros, after obtaining witness statements as well as forensic evidence they believe will help crack the case wide open, adding they want to bring in Sifis and Rudolf for questioning to ascertain what role each of them might have played. 

In an unexpected twist, the drive-by shooting has been linked to another arrest in a drug bust case, where two men in custody are suspected in having a role in both cases with police clarifying the two cases did not appear to be connected, but only the two Greek Cypriot suspects. Another Syrian national of Palestinian origins is also being detained in connection with the scooter incident.

Nicosia crime investigators believe the drive-by shooting could have been a warning against Rodhotheou, the younger brother of Andreas Rodhotheou who was gunned down in a secluded safe house in Limassol last April.

Some media reports pointed to Rudolf as the owner of a scooter, while Sifis is a known close friend and associate of Alexis “Alexoui” Mavromichalis, who was arrested Sunday on drug charges.