Man arrested for burgling house with rifle

A man appeared in court in the north on Friday accused of having burgled a house with a rifle in the early hours of last Saturday morning.

Police officer Omer Ulger told the court in northern Nicosia that the man had entered a house in Kioneli at around 5.30am on Saturday armed with a double-barrelled rifle which belonged to his father.

He said the man then kicked down the house’s front door, broke the glass inside the door with the butt of his rifle, and then fired a shot into the wall.

He said the man managed to make off with a total of 500,000TL (€13,873), all in 200TL notes.

Police apprehended the man on Monday in Kioneli, with a search of his house finding a double-barrelled rifle, a cartridge, and pellets.

The man then appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday and was remanded in custody for three days.

During interrogation, Ulger said, the man admitted to having entered the house with the rifle and to having fired a shot at the wall, but that he denied having stolen any money.

He added that the money has not yet been found.

Judge Jale Erguden ordered that the man be held in custody for a period not exceeding two months subject to a trial.