Woman assaulted by handyman imposter

A foreign woman in Paphos says she was attacked in her own apartment by a man who pretended to be a maintenance worker.

According to police, a woman from India said she was attacked in her apartment in Paphos on Tuesday night around 9:20pm by an unknown male, who knocked on her door pretending to be there for maintenance.

Reports said electricity and water were shut off in the woman’s apartment prior to the incident, followed by a knock on the door. When she answered, an unknown male pretending to be a worker came in and walked to the kitchen sink.

According to the complaint filed by the woman, who lives in Cyprus on a work visa, the man grabbed a glass, broke it, and used it to threaten the female tenant while holding her down.

The female, whose age was not disclosed to the media, began shouting and managed to get away, while the attacker also started to run away.

Police said the woman was examined by a doctor who said she had suffered cuts on both arms.

Neighbours who heard the screams also rushed to the scene but failed to locate or identify the perpetrator.

Knews was unable to establish the language spoken by the alleged attacker. Police said they had no suspect, while additional reports said there were no security cameras in the area.

Paphos police were said to be investigating a case of assault and entry by false pretenses.