A 26-year-old local man has been arrested in Paphos – charged with, among other things, three burglaries, car theft and malicious damage: he drove a stolen car into an armoury after being told by its owner not to sell a shotgun.

The first theft was a theft of money and a mobile phone, the same time a car was stolen from the 68-year-old owner. The second burglary was from a warehouse in the courtyard of a house in Paphos, where the burglar took a lawnmower. The third episode was the theft of various electronic devices from a sewing shop.

A little later, the owner of a gun store in Paphos contacted the police, saying that a stranger wanted to buy a shotgun from him and, when refused, tried to break down the door with farming implements. Unsuccessful, he left but soon returned in a two-seater and rammed the window of the warehouse – then drove off in the same car to an unknown destination.

The car turned out to be the same one that had previously been stolen from a 68-year-old citizen. The car was found abandoned on a vacant lot in Paphos city limits on the same day. Further investigation led the police to the suspect – a 26-year-old local resident. He was arrested and remanded in custody.