Armed robbery in the home of a British couple in Esentepe :(

[iancrumpy]

Source : http://www.haberkktc.com/haber/esentepe ... 48842.html
The above report tells of a robbery at gunpoint of British couple, Linda Wood and Steven Graver, in their home at 20 Bahçelievler Sokak in Esentepe
According to the report at around 5pm yesterday, three men, one with a gun, attached plastic handcuffs to the hands and feet of the couple, and then stole 120 pounds, four credit cards and a camera.
The police are investigating but have yet to find the culprits.

[iancrumpy]

Here's the Kıbrıs report on the robbery:

http://www.gundemkibris.com/esentepede- ... 40989h.htm

Apparently after struggling with Steven Graver, the robbers taped the couple's mouths and tied their hands and feet with rope (no mention of the "plastic handcuffs" here). After three hours, Steven Graver managed to untie himself and then the couple sought the help of their neighbours. The couple told Kıbrıs that two of the three were wearing masks, the third one wasn't though, and the couple said he had a tattoo on his neck. One has to say then that he was rather foolish not to wear a mask!

Beside the items mentioned in the first report (at the top of page), the robbers also took the couple's mobile phones, taking out the SIM cards inside and snapping them in half.

The couple told Kıbrıs that they were in fear of their lives

In the report it also states that the house was in an isolated location.

[LooseBoots]

Is this a sign of the times...............

[kaiserphil]

I DO hope not! But maybe it had to come eventually.

[iancrumpy]

The immediate reaction of my TC wife on hearing this was to say of the robbers "they wouldn't have been Turkish Cypriots, they're mainlanders".

She's probably right, but that's more due to the fact that the mainlanders outnumber the TCs here and on the whole are not as comfortably off as their TC cousins.

However, the reaction of my wife would probably be the same to that of most TCs. Anyone, particularly TCs, got any comments on the matter?

[iancrumpy]

According to this Kıbrıs report http://www.gundemkibris.com/parmak-izle ... 41054h.htm finger prints have been found in the Esentepe house (shown below, the house that is).

[iancrumpy]

The immediate reaction of my TC wife on hearing this was to say of the robbers "they wouldn't have been Turkish Cypriots, they're mainlanders". She's probably right, but that's more due to the fact that the mainlanders outnumber the TCs here and on the whole are not as comfortably off as their TC cousins.

We had lunch today with our neighbours and, on the men's table we discussed the robbery. One of the men mentioned nationals of certain Eastern European (EU, but less affluent) nations crossing to the north, getting up to no good and then crossing back to the south before the TC police could interview them. At first I thought his comments merely racist, but in the case of this British couple, there could be something to it - After all it is very unlikely that Linda Wood and Steven Graver would be able to understand from the robbers' accents that they weren't Turks or TCs, and knowing this the robbers targetted a house belonging to two Brits. Apparently it took Steven Graver three hours to untie himself ... ample time for the culprits to slip back southside. OK the TC police have fingerprints, but that's not going to help them.

At first I was reluctant to post this, as I have no desire to promote the distrust of any country's nationals. However, after such incidents in TRNC there is often finger-pointing in the direction of the mainlanders. And maybe a realisation that it could have been "undesirables" from the south might reduce the accusations being directed at the mainlanders.

In any case, I'm sure the police will have considered this ... and best to leave it to them ...

[Mel7348]

We have open borders, I tend to forget that although the TRNC is unrecognised we are still part of the Wicked Wide World.

Certainly a wakeup call for my complacency.

[dodger]

It seems like the robbers have gone to a lot of trouble to only come out of this despicable act with only £120.00.It must have been planned,the house checked over before the raid.I really hope that these b******* are caught.What a harrowing experience it must have been for this poor couple.

Paul.

[Beautiful You Salon]

Our friend is the one who does the CCTV for the shop opposite their house they where caught on CCTV but as they had masks on its difficult to see who they are, one or 2 men held the couple at gun point while the others went to the cash point to draw the money out on their cards this is a really sad thing to happen and it's happening a lot more than we think, we have just had cameras and an alarm fitted at our home as we want to feel safe and worst case if does happen the idiots will be caught, I hope the couple recover quickly from the shock and the people who done it get what's coming to them,

[finchy]

''Our friend is the one who does the CCTV for the shop opposite their house they where caught on CCTV''

Where is this shop? The house where the robbery took place is nowhere near a shop!

[Rambling Rose]

The "blame the Mainlanders" sydrome is one I meet every time there is wrong doing! And I have heard a lot of complaints that before they came the country was so safe and no-one ever locked their doors. Not suprising, the Turkish Cypriot community is very honest as far as theft is concerned - it has always been a very interlocked community and there is no point in theft if you neighbours all know where you work and how much you earn and that you dont have rich relatives to leave a fortune, and are going to ask lots of questions if you suddenly become rich or turn up witha lot of consumer goods, that they probably recognise as having belonged to their third cousin twice removed who lives in a village l0 miles away.

Nor it is surprising thatTurkish Cypriots resent mainlanders. It is human nature to resent those to whom one owes gratitude and Cypriots owe a huge debt of gratitude to Turkey. It ill behoves the British, whose Government really let the Cypriots down, to criticise.


Introduce an inlux of comparatively impoverished. unsophisticated and uneducated workers doing underpaid jobs, living in squalid conditions and away from family influence and taboos and you have a recipe for touble. (Note this is NOT a racist comment, I know a lot of highly inteligent and educated mainlanders, but they were in a minority of the post 74 immigrants)

Nor is it suprising that Turkish Cypriots resent mainlanders. It is human nature to resent those to whom one owes gratitude and Cypriots owe a huge debt of gratitude to Turkey. It ill behoves the British, whose Government really let the Cypriots down, to criticise.

Then stir in an influx of comparatively wealthy foreigners, with their villas, g and ts by the pool and flash cars, different standards of behaviour. and often with little understanding of local values, and it is really surprising there is not more crime.

I am horrified however that we are now getting armed crime, and dread the thought of the expense and aggravation of electronic security.

I remember a long time ago in the UK attending a Police lecture on safety from crime. Their main advice was if you have got it, DO NOT flaunt it! Dont boast about your wealth in the pub, don't wear expensive jewellry and display well filled wallets in public places, keep expensive television sets etc. where they cant be seen through windows or by casual callers at the front door.

Not that I am suggesting these particular unfortunate people were unwise - I dont know them or their circumstances - but I have seen a lot of expats who have let their comparative wealth go totheir heads displaying, with misplaced pride and abandon, unnecessarily expensive consumer goods, cars etc. and I cringe at the effect they have on me , let alone the poor unfortunates from the poorer parts of Turkey and less fortunate coutries.