Fraud suspect wanted in the Republic of Cyprus hid in the TRNC and was arrested in Iskele

A 44-year-old Romanian citizen, Alexandru Gabriel Cretu Torica, wanted in the Republic of Cyprus for fraud and the production of counterfeit credit cards, hid for several months in the territory of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). This became known after his arrest in Iskele, where he was living in one of the luxury residential complexes.

According to the court, the suspect illegally entered the TRNC in August 2025, violating the military restricted zone in the Akıncılar area. After receiving operational information, the police located him and arrested him in Iskele on January 29, 2026.

A police officer from the Demirhan station informed the court that the suspect had previously been brought to court, where a three-day period was granted for the continuation of the investigation. During this time, necessary checks were carried out, including immigration verification.

It was determined that Alexandru Gabriel Cretu Torica had no legal residency status in the TRNC. Following the completion of the investigation and due to his illegal presence in the territory, the police requested that he be held in custody.

The court approved the request and ordered the suspect to be placed in prison for up to 18 days.

It should be recalled that on August 4, 2025, the criminal department of Larnaca police conducted a search in an apartment belonging to Torica. During the operation, the following were found:

• computers,
• printers and credit card printing devices,
• scanners,
• printed materials and other equipment that, according to the investigation, were used to produce counterfeit credit cards. All items were seized for forensic examination.

Since the suspect could not be found at that time, he was declared wanted. It later emerged that during this period he had secretly moved to Northern Cyprus, where he remained in hiding until his arrest.