In Brief
UNLICENSED
Traffic police officer without permit knocks over pedestrian A traffic police officer, who ran over and injured a 23-year-old man in Thessaloniki early yesterday, did not have driving license, it later emerged. The 33-year-old policewoman was arrested early yesterday following the accident on Nikis Avenue in the northern city. The victim suffered several broken limbs and had to be operated on. Doctors said that his life was not in any danger. The traffic police officer appeared before a prosecutor where she was charged with causing bodily harm through neglect and driving without a license. BURGLARS CAUGHT Ring targeted southern suburbs Police revealed yesterday that they have arrested three members of a ring suspected of breaking into 57 homes in the southern Athens suburbs of Voula, Glyfada and Alimos over the last five months. Two Croatians and an Italian, aged 32 to 53, have been arrested so far and officers are looking for at least three more accomplices. The gang also stole car keys from the homes they broke into and it is thought they made off with at least 25 vehicles, four of which have already been found. Policeman shot A 48-year-old off-duty police officer was injured during an armed robbery at a gas station in Kaminia, near Piraeus, yesterday. Police said they are investigating the possibility that the officer was moonlighting, collecting cash from gas stations and depositing it in the bank. Two armed men approached the officer as he left the gas station and, when he reacted, one of the gunmen shot him in the leg. The total amount stolen is estimated to be 200,000 euros. It is illegal for policemen to work second jobs, but police sources stated that last month the officer had asked to leave the force after 29 years of service. The injured policeman said that he was helping out the gas station owner as a friend. Trafficking operation An Iraqi man thought to be part of an international human-trafficking network was arrested in the center of Athens yesterday as part of a wider operation instigated by Italian authorities that led to more than 40 arrests. The unnamed 33-year-old was arrested early yesterday during a raid that was coordinated with other European police forces. The suspect is due to be extradited to Italy. Flight returns An Olympic Airlines flight from Athens to New York with 95 passengers and 12 crew on board was forced to return to Athens International Airport yesterday just an hour after takeoff as the captain reported a reading that one of the Airbus A-340’s engines was on fire. No fire was visible but the captain was instructed to turn back to Athens, where engineers found there had been a short circuit in the plane’s display panel. Dead ranger A 52-year-old forest ranger was found dead in a ravine near Trikala, central Greece, yesterday. Family and friends had launched a search for him after he failed to return home. Cephalonia quake An earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale shook the Ionian island of Cephalonia at 2.11 a.m. early yesterday. The epicenter of the tremor was recorded 38 kilometers southwest of the island at sea. No injuries or damage were reported.
