Two escaped detainees alleged to have committed over 40 crimes may have had help from the inside, while the police acknowledged that mistakes were made.

The escapees are Alexandros Sarkisides, aged 28, and Ernai Kozmiov, aged 34, both of Russian origin who hold Greek passports.

The two men, thought to be behind over 40 thefts from cars and houses, managed to escape from holding cells at Paphos district’s police headquarters on Saturday morning.

Police spokesman Christos Andreou said on Monday morning that it appears there was negligence on the part of the police force, saying that investigations are under way to ascertain how the detainees opened the exit gates.

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The two wanted men

Three officers have been assigned to the case while Andreou said they have not yet been able to rule out that the escapees may have had assistance from inside the detention centre.

Paphos police spokesman Michalis Nikolaou said that stop-checks have been carried out on cars, various persons of interest have been summoned to the station for statements and other operations are under way to get a lead on the missing men.

Nikolaou appeared optimistic that the men will soon be in police custody once again, but called on the public to assist the authorities and relay any information that may be relevant.

Police appealed to the public to contact them with any information they might have to help locate the suspects on 26 806021, the citizen’s line on 1460, through police’s app or website, or by visiting their nearest police station.