A 42 year old man was remanded in custody for two days by Paphos district court on Wednesday as police investigate the abduction of a woman, 25, and her nine month old daughter, the Cyprus News Agency reports.
It said that the alleged offence occurred between August 13 and 14 in Paphos.
The police investigator told the court that just after midnight on Wednesday police has received a tip off that a woman from Egypt and her baby daughter had been kidnapped the previous day from their home by the woman’s brother in law, who is from Syria.
Paphos CID went to the house where the man opened the door and where they found the 25 year old and her infant. The suspect and the woman were taken to Paphos CID for questioning.
In a written statement the woman said that the suspect had gone to her house and he had argued with her husband and then took her and the baby to his house.
There, she said, he threatened her that she would never leave the house and that he would send the child to Syria.
When he left the house, she sent a message to her friend and asked her to contact police. She told police that the reason the suspect had acted in this way was because she is Christian.
The suspect told police that the woman had gone willingly because there was another woman from Egypt at her house who he considered was a bad influence.
The police investigator said that inquiries at still at their initial stage. He said the suspect should be held in custody as he may influence witnesses if released. His lawyer did not object to the remand.
