| Manhunt for Theodoros Theofanous a.k.a. "Hairdresser" | |
| Location: | Paphos, mainly Choletria village and Limassol |
| Planned By: | Cyprus Police |
| Target: | Theodoros Theofanous |
| Time-Begin: | 26 September 2024 |
| Time-End: | 29 September 2024 |
| Outcome: | Suspect apprehended in Limassol |
The Manhunt for Theodoros ("Doros") Theofanous (Θεόδωρος Θεοφάνους "Κομμωτής") began on September 26 2024, after he had escaped from his prison escort detail when visiting family in the village of Choletria.[1] He was found on the beachfront in Limassol on September 29 2024 and was arrested and put back in prison.[2]
Theodoros Theofanous was convicted of murder for the killing of Yulia Oboroc, her daughter (3 years old) and her unborn daughter.[3] On the dates of 11-12 December 2011 he shot and killed Yulia alongside her unborn child and later her 3 year old daughter, Yulia being found in her car on a beach in Yeroskipou with a bullet to her thorax and abdomen, her 3 year old daughter being found just 50 meters away from the vehicle, pathological jealousy being the reason he committed the murders receiving a life sentence plus 35 years.[4] [5]
In September of 2024, due to the fact that he is serving a life sentence, Doros was allowed leave to visit family and was escorted with 4 wardens who were to be with him at all times and 3 police officers to be outside the house.[6] Whilst at the gathering, Doros left his detail, went to a shed at the back of the house and fled the area, within 15 minutes the wardens went to check on him and realised he had disapeared and as such a manhunt was immediately declared with police checkpoints, helicopters and patrols being ordered in the area with the search area later being increased.[7] On September 27, the Criminal Investigative Department arrested the father of Doros alongside a Syrian man who were both accused of aiding and abetting his escape.[8] [9] Later in the day it was revealed that Cyprus police had intelligence that Doros was planning to flee to occupied northern Cyprus and from there would have gone to Turkey then gone to Colombia.[10] On September 29, Cyprus police received a tip from witnesses in the area that the fugitive was in the Amathus are hiding in the house of a Syrian migrant and after confirming, the police encircled his position and even though he tried to escape, they successfully arrested the suspect and transported him back to the Central Jail of Nicosia under heavy security.[11] [12] The Special Antiterrorist Squad was present at the arrest.[13]
As a result of this, the president of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, dismissed the chief and deputy chief of Cyprus Police alongside the acting director of the prisons department.[14] The police union "Isotita" head, Nikos Loizidis criticised the police command for not assigning more officers to such a high risk individual and leaving only three officers to cover such a large area, choosing to allocate more officers to the parade for October 1st alongside not having a proper plan.[15] [16]