Another delivery driver attacked in racist incident in Limassol, Cyprus

Another Indian national who works as a delivery driver in Cyprus (south) was attacked by unknown individuals in Limassol on Thursday night.

According to Greek Cypriot police report, the attack against a 28-year-old Indian national took place at around 10.30pm on Thursday night.

The man had reported to the police that, while riding his motorcycle, he had been pursued by two other motorcycles with two people on each.

The people riding on the back of both motorcycles reportedly then began to kick the delivery driver, causing him to fall off his motorcycle. At this point, they started beating him with bats.

He eventually managed to escape into a kiosk, but was pursued once again by one of the four, who hit him again inside the kiosk.

The police were then called, with three people, one aged 33, one aged 29, and one aged 21, being found later in the evening. The three suspects deny any guilt or involvement in the case. They were found in a red vehicle at the scene, whilst two other young individuals fled on foot.

They were taken to the police station, where the victim identified two of them, the 33-year-old and the 29-year-old, as his attackers. The police arrested all three men.

They appeared in court on Friday, and the two who had been identified by the victim were remanded in custody for six days. The third man was released.

Thursday night’s incident is the latest in an ongoing series of attacks on delivery drivers in Limassol, with the police having confirmed that a total of 10 people had been arrested in connection with attacks in the first two and a half weeks of this month.

Apart from the case of the 28-year-old complainant, at least three other attacks on food delivery drivers occurred yesterday around 2:30 am, though no official complaints have been filed.

“These victims are hardworking individuals in Cyprus, simply trying to earn a living. This situation cannot continue. The police are taking measures,” Limassol police spokesperson Lefteris Kyriacou told public broadcaster CyBC earlier in the month.

He added that many of the attacks appear to be racially motivated, a claim corroborated by several victims in recent weeks. 

Earlier in the summer, delivery drivers in Limassol staged a protestagainst what they called a “frightening surge” in violent attacks against them and even stopped deliveries.

Cyprus Mail