Student arrested on return to north Cyprus 6 months after a theft incidence

A student who was accused of stealing from a shop in Lefkosa was arrested more than six months after the incident on his return to north Cyprus.

The suspect named only as O.O.I, a Nigerian, was accused of stealing an Apple brand headset worth 4,500 TL from a phone shop operating in Girne Street in Lefkosa.

Police said the incident happened at around 3:30pm on February, 10, 2024.

The suspect was brought to court on Tuesday charged with theft.

Explaining in court, the police said that the suspect, during a shopping at a store operating on Girne Street, hid an Apple brand headset worth 4,500 TL among other items he paid for with a credit card but did not pay for the headset.

The suspect was identified through camera recordings in the store which showed how the suspect hid the item in question.

Police said in order to identify the suspect, bank statements were obtained based on the credit card slip and his identity was determined in this way, but he could not be arrested because he had gone abroad.

An arrest warrant was obtained from the Lefkosa District Court against the suspect on August, 21 when he was declared a wanted person.

Police said the suspect was arrested on Friday, September, 6, 2024 when he returned to north Cyprus via Ercan Airport. He was brought to court on 7 September where he was given a 3 days detention order.

He was brought back to court again on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Police said during the period of his detention, the stolen headset box was found in a computer desk cabinet in his bedroom and the İşbank ATM card he used while shopping at the shop was found during a search conducted at his residence and were taken as evidence

Police said that the suspect confessed to his crime and said that he left the stolen headset in Nigeria.and did not return with it.

Police told the court that the suspect was a student and has legal status in the country and demanded that he be released on bail.

The judge released the suspect on bail on the condition that he pay a cash bail of 20,000 TL and appear at the nearest police station four days a week as evidence.