Man arrested for stealing from a supermarket in Haspolat found to have been living in north Cyprus illegally

Man arrested for allegedly stealing from a supermarket in Demirhan, was found to have been living in north Cyprus illegally without a resident permit.

The suspect named only as KM, an Iranian was arrested in Demirhan at around 7:30 PM on Saturday December 28, 2024 when it was discovered that he did not pay for the items he bought at Erülkü Supermarket. During police checks, it was determined that he had no residence permit in north Cyprus.

He was brought to court on Sunday for theft and illegal residency.

In court, the police officer who testified regarding the incident, said the suspect who resides in İskele, was identified at around 7:30 PM on December 28, 2024, as being at Erülkü Supermarket as a customer and passing through the checkout without paying for products worth a total of 9,124.93 TL.

The suspect was arrested by the police teams who arrived at the scene and was taken to the station. During the investigation, it was also discovered that the suspect had been residing illegally in the country for 553 days since May 25, 2023. 

Police said the items taken by the suspect were seized as evidence and that the statements made by the suspect would be verified and cross-checked. He requested that the suspect be detained at the police station for two days initially for investigative purposes.

Responding to the police testimony, the suspect claimed that he did not commit theft. He argued that there were two different shopping carts and that he intended to pay for them at once under separate receipts. He added that he did not leave the supermarket but was merely waiting behind the cash registers to make payment.

After evaluating the testimony presented, the judge stated that the two-day detention period requested was essential for the proper conduct of the investigation and to clarify the matter by examining the suspect’s statements. The judge approved the detention period.