Police have handed in the report requested by the health ministry, after the coroner had initially ruled out foul play when a Pakistani was found dead in a plot in Strovolos but changed his mind four days later when he extracted a bullet from the dead man’s back.
The police, who had been on the wrong track before the bullet was found, are now investigating possible premeditated murder after a delay of four days.
Initially, the coroner had said that what proved to be bullet wound had been caused by a sharp stone.
According to Reporter, the police immediately got to work after the health ministry requested a report on Friday on what happened and why four days had passed before the autopsy.
The 24-year-old man from Pakistan had been found dead face-down in an open plot in Strovolos on January 6.
The body was taken to the mortuary at Nicosia general hospital, where an autopsy was conducted on Friday by coroner Nicolas Charalambous.
According to news website Reporter, Charalambous originally ruled out any criminal action.
However, a bullet was found during the autopsy on the body and police are now investigating a possible case of premeditated murder.
The man had been found naked from the waist up, with a bag and jacket.
Police found wounds on the body and the scene was cordoned off.
Charalambous had been called in and ruled out foul play.
When police officers pointed out the wound in the back, the coroner allegedly pointed to a stone, which was subsequently collected as evidence.
Based on the coroner’s findings, the police were not investigating homicide, until the same coroner extracted a bullet.
This mistake cost the police four days, which could have been used to comb the area for evidence and already be on the trail of the perpetrators.
Police are also looking into the possibility that the man had been murdered elsewhere and dumped in the plot later, as they found signs the body had been dragged.
Furthermore, no residents reported to have heard any shots.
