NICOSIA: Cypriot police on Sunday opened a criminal investigation into the death of a Pakistani man who was reportedly appointed by an independent investigator earlier this month.
A statement issued by Attorney General George L. Savides said the decision was made following a briefing by the police chief on the ongoing investigation into the incident.
Savvides said he had appointed “an independent criminal investigator into the circumstances surrounding the death of a young man from Pakistan”.
“Senior counsel for the Republic, Mr. Ninos Keikos, will lead the investigation conducted by the police.”
The move comes a day after authorities said a Pakistani national was shot dead with a police service weapon.
The announcement came after a post-mortem examination contradicted an initial forensic analysis that ruled out criminal circumstances.
According to the post-mortem, a bullet wound was found on the right side of the man’s back.
Police found the body of the 24-year-old in a field on the outskirts of the capital Nicosia on January 6, a national holiday.
Several days later, police revealed an earlier incident in which officers fired shots while trying to stop and arrest suspects, saying the deaths may be related.
Local news website Phileleftheros reported on Sunday that three police officers were being questioned over the shooting, which took place at a different location from where the body was found.
Phileleftheros reported that police said shots were fired at the tires of a vehicle involved in smuggling illegal migrants near the line that divides the island into the UN-recognized south and the Turkish-backed north. is
Irregular migrants often cross the so-called Green Line from the north of Turkish Cypriots into the more affluent Greek-speaking Republic of Cyprus.
Phileleftheros reported that the Ministry of Health has requested a report of the incident from the police so that it can review the forensic expert’s findings.