Five arrested in Paphos after rock-throwing violence

Five people were arrested in Paphos on Friday night following an incident involving the throwing of rocks and pieces of wood due to a reported financial dispute.

A policeman on duty in the town at around 11.10pm noticed a man chasing two other people up a street and throwing rocks and pieces of wood at them.

He then attempted to intervene in the situation, but the rock thrower then got into the back of a car, which then drove off.

The policeman then contacted colleagues about the incident to put them on alert.

Five minutes later, police brought the car to a stop and found it being driven by a 38-year-old woman. There were four male passengers on board, aged 23, 22, 17, and 16 years old respectively.

They then searched the car and found other rocks and pieces of wood inside and arrested all five for possessing offensive weapons.

Paphos police assistant operations director Michalis Nikolaou said on Saturday it is believed that the cause of the violence was that the two victims, both aged 31, had offered the 38-year-old woman house cleaning services, but that there had been a difference of opinion in how much they should be paid.

All five arrestees remain in custody.