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Old woman trying to smuggle jewelry in underwear arrested in Cyprus

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  • Old woman trying to smuggle jewelry in underwear arrested in Cyprus

    Old Armenian woman trying to smuggle jewelry in underwear arrested in Cyprus

    March 31, 2012 - 13:32 AMT

    PanARMENIAN.Net - A wheelchair-bound 83-year-old woman, underwear
    stuffed with jewelry, was arrested, along with three others for
    allegedly trying to smuggle stolen goods out of Cyprus late on
    Thursday, March 29.

    Cyprus Mail reported that three Armenian women, including the
    83-year-old, and a Cypriot man, 41, were remanded for five days by the
    Larnaca District Court.

    When she appeared in court yesterday, the 83-year-old grandmother had
    seemingly abandoned the use of the wheelchair and walked into the
    courthouse on her own.

    The four are being investigated for allegedly committing a felony,
    theft and the illegal possession of property.

    They were arrested after a Larnaca airport security guard who was
    patting down the old lady discovered a number of items of jewelry
    stashed in her underwear with the price tags still attached.

    The 83-year-old arrived at the airport in a wheelchair and checked in
    a little after 7pm.

    She was going to be on the same flight with a friend - a 36-year-old
    woman - and the wife of her grandson - a 24 year old who was being
    extradited out of Cyprus.

    The latter arrived at the airport under police escort, while the other
    two women had packed for her and carried her bags for her, Larnaca
    police spokesman Christos Andreou said.

    But the 83-year-old was searched when she was going through security.

    `A female guard on duty at the control discovered jewelry meticulously
    hidden in her possession,' Andreou said. He said police suspected she
    was only in the wheelchair to try and avoid a search.

    The grandmother also had clothes, shoes, jewels, watches, perfumes and
    electronic goods in her hand luggage.

    The 83-year-old claimed the other two women had given her the jewelry.

    Authorities then searched the 36-year-old's luggage and found
    perfumes, clothes, sunglasses and electronic goods, with the price
    tags still attached.

    The 24-year-old also had a large quantity of new clothes in her luggage.

    `They all blamed each other,' Andreou said adding that `eventually
    they claimed to have bought everything'.

    The police said that none of the three women gave a satisfactory
    explanation of how they came by the items.

    The 41-year-old man was arrested after one of the women implicated him.

    All four deny any wrongdoing.

    Andreou seized the opportunity to urge people to be vigilant when in
    crowded places where pickpockets lurk.




    From: A. Papazian
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