Congolese students found sleeping on the streets of north Cyprus arrested and detained for not being able to explain herself

A student who was found sleeping on the sidewalk of a street in Lefkosia has been held in police custody because she could not explain herself.

The student, with the initials, O.B.M, 25, a Congolese national who is the TRNC for study was found stranded and lying on the pavement in front of the Başpınar Apartment in İğneci Street, in Hamitköy Lefkoso at around 9:00pm on Saturday September 7.

Police said she was found in a state of disarray and arrested her for being disorderly and not able to explain herself. 

She was brought before a Lefkosa district court on Sunday.

Police told the court that she was arrested as a Rogue Person due to the fact that she acted suspiciously and could not give a clear answer regarding her source of income and residence address during questioning by the police team on duty.

Police stated that the suspect gave multiple different addresses as a result of the investigation carried out in light of her initial verbal statements, but her place of residence could not be determined. 

Police stated that the suspect's fingerprints were taken and that an investigation was ongoing to determine whether she had been involved in any previous crimes in the TRNC, and that in her statements she stated that she had no money or source of income and wanted to return to her country, and that she currently had no place to stay and was sleeping on the streets.

The police stated that the investigation had just begun, that there were statements to be taken, and that the suspect's statements needed to be confirmed and refuted, and requested that she be detained at the police station for 3 days at the first stage.

The judge who evaluated the case ordered the suspect to be detained by the police for 3 days for investigation purposes.

***This woman is stranded with no place to stay and probably hungry. Prison is not the place for her to be. She needs help with rehabs, accommodation, food and health care. This is not difficult to figure out.