Woman ‘kidnapped’ in Paphos
Police in Paphos are negotiating an alleged kidnapping, with two people already having been arrested.
The police said they were informed on Saturday by the Romanian authorities about the case of a 48-year-old Romanian woman who had travelled to Cyprus “a few days prior” with a 51-year-old man and was possibly being held in a hotel in Paphos against her will.
The Romanian authorities informed the police that the woman was expected to board a flight to Poland the same day.
As such, police officers went to the hotel where they had been informed the woman was staying but failed to find her.
Later on Saturday, police at Paphos airport found the woman outside the terminal building alongside the 51-year-old man. They said that at the time, she was “calling for help”.
Officers then spoke to the woman, and she told them that after she had arrived in Cyprus with the man, they had been staying in a hotel together, but that “he did not allow her to leave without him escorting her”.
In addition, the police said, he “took her to a specific premises in Paphos where he forced her to meet with the customers of the premises in question in exchange for payment”.
They said this happened on two occasions.
The man was arrested, while a second person, aged 79 years old, was also later arrested. They are expected to appear in court on Sunday.
The police’s investigation into the matter is ongoing, and they have said they are looking for a 44-year-old individual in connection with the case.