The men — a 31-year-old Indian national and a 48-year-old Cypriot — were arrested on Tuesday, a day after the stolen body of the ex-President was found in a cemetery south of the capital, ending a macabre saga which had shocked the island.
The Indian national, speaking in “broken Greek”, had tipped off the Papadopoulos family about the location of the ex-President’s remains, the police said.
The Indian suspect said in his statement that he planned to use the money to return to India, but was eventually overcome with guilt and dropped his demand, the court heard. He also claimed in his statement that the Greek Cypriot accused in the case had contacted him on December 8 and offered him 200 euros beforehand and more afterwards if he helped carry out the grave robbery.
Three days later, on December 11, the grave was dug up and the body stolen from its coffin. The robbery occurred a day before a memorial service was due to be held to mark the first anniversary of the 74-year-old’s death from lung cancer.
The police told the court they are investigating 11 charges in connection with the theft of the body, including conspiracy to commit a crime, illegal entry into a burial site, extortion and sacrilege.
Police superintendent Yiannakis Charalambous said in court that the Indian national admitted in his statement to the police that he had contacted the Papadopoulos family 10 days before the body was found and demanded money. State TV reported that the suspect initially asked for 200,000 euros for information on the location of the body and had then lowered his demand to 100,000 euros.
Justice minister Loucas Louca said on Tuesday that a ransom had been demanded of the ex-President’s wealthy family which had not been paid, prompting an angry denial from the family spokesman that any extortion attempt had been made. —AFP