Man wanted for killing sex worker, stole her money

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A 25-year-old Turkish national wanted in connection with the murder of a Ukrainian woman whose body was found in a Yermasoyia holiday apartment on 7 May, is now also wanted for theft.

An update from the Limassol Crime Investigation Department, ongoing investigations have revealed that €2,000 appears to have been stolen from the victim’s apartment and electronic devices.

Police at the time of the murder had issued an arrest warrant for Turkish citizen Erkan Alkan, wanted in connection to the brutal killing of the 35-year-old sex worker from Ukraine.

Alkan, a political asylum seeker of Kurdish origin, is believed to have made his way to the Turkish-occupied areas in the north of the island.

The victim, who lived in Larnaca but also worked in Limassol as a prostitute, was found half naked on the floor of an apartment she used as a meeting place for paid sex with male clients.

According to medical examiners, she had been found with zip ties around her hands and ankles, and her death resulted from strangulation.

According to reports, the 25-year-old suspect was the last person to have met with the Ukrainian woman.

Reportedly, Alkan had met up with the victim after arranging a rendezvous through a female friend of the woman who had been handling her appointments.

The victim’s friend from Ukraine was also arrested to help in the investigation.

She told police she had received a request from Alkan for a 3-hour session on Saturday, 6 May.

Reports said the sex rendezvous was set up through the Bazaraki platform and its website’s ‘erotic massage and adult services’ section.

Messages were also exchanged on the mobile application WhatsApp, where Alkan booked the meetup for the night of the murder at the cost of €350. However, reports say that the man had refused to pay.

The identity of the murder victim has not been released to the public.

Officials, however, confirmed reports that the woman had travelled to Cyprus last year on special refugee status after Russia invaded Ukraine.