Customs officers at Ayios Dhometios crossing point found a 20-year-old Sudanese man on Tuesday night in the boot of a car, hiding under blankets in an effort to cross into the Republic undetected.

Senior customs officer George Constantinou told the Cyprus Mail that the man was found during random checks of vehicles crossing into the south.

At around 9pm on Tuesday, customs officers stopped a rental car driven by a Jordanian with Cypriot citizenship and found the man in the boot.

“While checking the boot, an illegal immigrant from Sudan was found hiding under blankets in an effort to cross into the south, without passing from police control,” Constantinou said.

He added that “they were both arrested – driver and illegal immigrant – and handed over to the police for further investigations.”