A 47-year-old man was hospitalised after being punched in the face while attempting to defend a woman being targeted in a ‘car wipers’ scam, the police said on Thursday.

The incident occurred in the Paphos district village of Timi shortly before midday on Sunday, and the man was initially taken to the Paphos general hospital’s accident and emergency department, where an examination revealed a serious facial fracture and a wound near his right eye.

He was subsequently transferred to the Nicosia general hospital to undergo surgery and further treatment.

The police said that the man had attempted to defend a woman who refused to pay individuals who, without her consent, had replaced the windscreen wipers on her vehicle.

When the woman refused to pay and requested that her old wipers be reinstalled, the individuals insisted on the payment, claiming that the new ones were disposable, and would break upon removal.

The man intervened, and a fight broke out, which led to him being punched in the face, while the attackers fled.

The police are now looking for them, and also said that the phenomenon of scammers replacing windscreen wipers without permission and demanding payment is common in several areas of the Paphos district.