11 Most Wanted Criminals Hiding In Cyprus Revealed

11 Most Wanted Criminals Hiding In Cyprus Revealed

A rogues' gallery of 11 fugitives suspected of crimes including drug smuggling, fraud and rape and thought to be hiding in Cyprus has been published.

The most wanted list is the latest phase of a hunt led by Crimestoppers and the UK's National Crime Agency to flush the suspects out of their hiding places.

It includes Jeffrey Bloor, 41, from Brighton, East Sussex, who is wanted by Sussex Police over an alleged horse racing betting and blood stocks scam, where would-be investors were duped out of millions of pounds.

Cypriot Costas Sampson, 23, who also spells his first name with a K and was last known to be living in London, is wanted by Scotland Yard after he was convicted of rape, voyeurism and theft in August 2012.

(Top row left to right) Richard Ardolino, Cypriot Osman Aydeniz, Turk Ozgur Demir, (bottom row left to right) Ersin Mustafa, Christakis Philippou and Cypriot Hasan Akarcay, six of 11 fugitives suspected of crimes including drug smuggling, fraud and rape and thought to be hiding in Cyprus

Two years earlier he raped a girl who was taken ill after accepting a drink from a stranger at a London nightclub, and stole valuables from her flat after the attack.

Another fugitive is Christakis Philippou, 70, also known as Christakis Chrysostomou, who is wanted by the Metropolitan Police after he was convicted of conspiracy to defraud.

Between 2004 and 2006 he was involved in scams where at least 20,000 unwitting customers were offered cheap holidays, only for the travel agency to stop trading, leaving victims without a trip.

The appeal, called Operation Zygos, is the second of its kind targeting Cyprus and includes six new suspects along with five remaining fugitives who featured in the last campaign.

It aims to find criminals who could be in the Republic of Cyprus or Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus.

Steve Bennett, the NCA's head of European operations, said: "Fugitives don't just give up their criminal behaviour, they typically remain part of the criminal world, creating harm and causing damage, sometimes to the new communities they live in. We are determined to ensure life on the run is intolerable for them and that they are brought back to face justice.

"The most important thing is the power of this campaign to harness the eyes and ears of the public, both in Cyprus and the UK. If you have information on the whereabouts of our targets, no matter how small or trivial it seems, call

Crimestoppers anonymously and let us know."

People in Cyprus with information can call Crimestoppers on 8000 55 11, and those in the UK 0800 555 111 or they can report crime online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org

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