Police have arrested a third suspect in the murder case of Thanasis Kalogeropoulos, while efforts to unravel the mastermind behind recent gangland killings have led authorities to Nicosia Central Prisons.
The arrest, announced by the police on Friday, involves a 22-year-old Larnaca man against whom evidence has surfaced, linking him to the murder of Kalogeropoulos.
He is believed to have driven a stolen car – the killers used — that was later found torched and abandoned.
The suspect, detained for eight days, becomes the third person taken into police custody in connection with the case.
Two men aged 41 and 44 were earlier arrested, based on evidence suggesting their involvement in the death of Kalogeropoulos.
The 41-year-old, captured on CCTV footage riding a getaway motorcycle on the Limassol highway, is believed to be one of the two hitmen responsible for the execution.
Police believe the 44-year-old provided refuge to the motorbike driver and the second, still unidentified, perpetrator at his residence.
Both suspects now face 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.
Meanwhile, in the early hours of Friday, the website Philenews disclosed that police conducted searches in the cells of two inmates at the central prison. The objective was to locate mobile phones or communication devices.
Kalogeropoulos was gunned down on October 30 in broad daylight on a busy beachside Limassol avenue.
The assailants, masked and displaying ruthless precision, shot him ten times at close range, causing injuries to his head and various parts of his body.
Another gangland murder occurred in Nicosia the following day, with the assassination of Alexis Mavromichalis, shot by a sniper while standing on the balcony of his apartment.
The police have yet to confirm whether the two murders are connected.
Intriguingly, both Kalogeropoulos and Mavromichalis not only knew each other but also played significant roles as witnesses in previous gangland murders, adding complexity to the unfolding investigation.
