"Mr." Mitas was not a great person in Cypriot history but he "achieved" so much as a robber, that he left his memory until today and probably will never be forgotten.
The phrase "Enna pian to Mita" remained a trademark in the Cypriot topo-lialia for our futile and failed efforts to achieve something.
The story of Mehmet Jamal Mitas, as his real name is, begins sometime in 1937 when he was sentenced to five years in prison for stealing animals in Agios Epiphanios Soleas.
The thieves at that time were in full swing and Cyprus was plagued by them. Mitas will be released four years later with a suspension and will return to his birthplace, Vretsia. Mitas will be released but his life will not change at all.
Gunpowder-smoked with hatred for the Holy Sepulcher mukhtar, Karahasan Karamehmet, who held him responsible for his imprisonment, will one day threaten his life. As fearless and impudent as he was, he will not keep his word and will kill the mukhtar Karamehmet.
The suspicions immediately turned to Mita. Mukhtar's death came from a stolen military weapon that had already been reported to the police. This will force Mita to go to the mountains to hide.
Mitas will organize there and create his own gang. He will steal too many animals but will also blackmail many people in order not to be betrayed. Mita's action began to become widespread in the surrounding area.
The mouchtar of Vretsia, Moulalis, annoyed by Mita's action in his village, will dare to break out with his sister Zeliche. Mitas will not leave him unpunished and will kill him with a knife. Mitas will continue to rape many women. One of them was the wife of the hodja (Turkish priest) of Vretsia.
Mitas was ruthless and those who went against him knew their consequences. His brother-in-law, Hussein Khalil, was actually helping the police arrest Mita, for his own interests.
One night Mitas with his accomplice Konstantinos Dimitriou will kill him with a gun and as a souvenir will take his head, thus preventing future enemies. Mitas will become a huge headache for the Police since in many cases that surrounded him he managed to escape from them.
From '42 to '45 countless attempts will be made to arrest him. Specifically, in '42, he will manage to escape from the police cordon dressed as a hanumissa.
Mitas appeared everywhere without anyone taking him seriously. Various publications of the time made it clear that Mitas was working secretly as a worker for the construction of the Limassol - Paphos road, receiving his salary normally and by law!
Mitas became really unarrested and the Police will ask for the help of the army. The situation seemed really out of control and the colonial government would enact the Fugitive Law in February '46. People then said, "If they catch Mita, we'll see ..."
Mitas, who did not seem to be particularly afraid, continued his normal life as he knew how to live it. On March 4, '46, unfortunately for him, he will be seriously injured in the shoulder in one of the frequent exchanges of fire with the Police and will take the road to the Limassol Hospital. It will be hidden in a barn in Limassol, in the village of Alectora.
Mita's presence in the barn will be betrayed and the Police will flood the barn with many police officers, so Mita will be arrested on March 16. Mitas will be brought before the Court on July 16 where he will be sentenced by the President of the Court Griffith William to be hanged.
He told the Court "I believe in God that I will be given justice"!
At 5 in the morning of October 29, Mitas was hanged for all the crimes and irregularities he committed. The phrase is still alive, reminding us of the brazen Mita. Mitas managed with his sharp mind and cunning to be unforgettable and hopefully not to be imitated. Although dead, his memory as the most famous robber who passed through Cyprus will remain alive. For the sake of Officer Panagiotis Mahlouzaridis, who was then serving at the Police Headquarters, he will write a book about his achievements.
Source: Christos Kyriakou / opsinews.com