Police say the two gangland murders – in Limassol and Nicosia – that shocked the island are not connected, as they make headway in one of the cases.
In an interview with Sigma TV on Monday, police spokesperson Christos Andreou stated: “The evidence collected so far does not support the idea that these murders are linked.”
However, Andreou remained cautious, noting that conclusions can only be made once the investigations are completed.
The victims, Thanasis Kalogeropoulos, 55, and Alexis Mavromichalis, 45, were both brutally murdered in apparent gang-related killings.
Kalogeropoulos was gunned down on October 30 in broad daylight on a busy beachside Limassol avenue, having been shot ten times.
Mavromichalis was assassinated on October 31 by a sniper while on the balcony of his Nicosia apartment.
Intriguingly, both victims not only knew each other but had also played significant roles as witnesses in previous gangland murders.
On Sunday, the police presented two men who were arrested in connection with the murder before the Limassol District Court, which remanded them in custody for eight days.
The two men, aged 41 and 44, were apprehended following evidence suggesting their involvement in Kalogeropoulos’ death.
The 41-year-old is believed to be one of the two hitmen responsible for executing Kalogeropoulos and was captured on CCTV footage riding a getaway motorcycle on the Limassol highway.
The police suspect that the 44-year-old was harbouring the 41-year-old motorbike driver and the second, still unknown, perpetrator at his home.
The two suspects are facing a range of charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, premeditated murder, possession, carrying, and use of firearms, possession, carrying, and use of explosives, arson, and theft of a motor vehicle.
In the case of Alexis Mavromichalis’ assassination, investigators have made limited headway, as they have little evidence to work with.
Mavromichalis was killed by a sniper’s bullet in his Nicosia apartment, shot down around 9:15 pm.
The sniper had positioned himself in a field opposite Mavromichalis’ apartment building and waited for the victim to appear on his balcony.
The fatal shot was fired from a distance of 40-50 metres.
