They were taken into custody yesterday, Thursday, a 19-year-old and a 23-year-old for cases of forgery, illegal entry into the territory of the Republic and illegal residence.
According to the Assistant Police Director of Paphos, Michalis Ioannou, he was presented yesterday at Paphos airport with the intention of departing for France a foreigner, of African origin, presenting a French passport, which at first glance seemed not genuine and the person depicted in the passport was different from the person holding it.
Interrogated allegedly to admitted that the travel documents, both the passport and a permanent residence card she was holding, were not hers. He also stated that he was from the Republic of the Congo, is 19 years old and that he arrived in Cyprus through the occupied territories, on 5.12.21. Then the 19-year-old was arrested for the crime of forgery, illegal entry into the territory of the Republic and illegal stay. He was transferred and is being held in the police custody of the Paphos Police Department.
Also, in another case, a member of the passport control center at Paphos airport was notified yesterday that at the departure point of the flight that would depart for Bristol a man presented them with a French passport with a one-way ticket.
According to Mr. Ioannou, the French passport was checked and it seems that it was not genuine. From the examinations that followed, he allegedly admitted his real name, that he is 23 years old and that he comes from Albania. The 23-year-old was then arrested for the self-inflicted crime of forgery.
A search of his luggage allegedly turned up a French identity card, in the name of another person. Further investigations by the Police revealed that the 23-year-old remained illegally in the territory of the Republic. He was arrested and taken into custody, while the investigations are being continued by the Paphos Police Department.