A delivery driver has been hospitalised after being the victim of yet another attack in Limassol in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The driver, a 28-year-old Bangladeshi national, was reportedly riding his motorcycle towards a hotel in the city to deliver an order. He said that when he stopped at a set of traffic lights, he saw a car with four people inside approaching and then stopping next to him.
One of the four then sprayed a substance at his face, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground.
At this point, the four got out of the vehicle and began beating him, before leaving the scene.
The delivery driver suffered injuries to his head, pelvis, and back, and remains in hospital.
The police reportedly found the car in which the four were riding when the attack took place and are now searching for its owner.
The attack comes a day after Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis said he was “seriously concerned” by the frequent attacks on delivery drivers, and said he would hold a high-level meeting during the week to discuss the issue.
On Friday, two food delivery companies met with Limassol’s police chief Andreas Angelides over the matter, with Angelides saying the attacks “are not tolerated”, and that all sides had resolved to “better coordinate” with the aim of clamping down on the phenomenon.
Earlier, the police had confirmed that a total of 10 people had been arrested in connection with attacks in the first two and a half weeks of this month.
“These victims are hardworking individuals in Cyprus, simply trying to earn a living. This situation cannot continue. The police are taking measures,” Limassol police spokesperson Lefteris Kyriacou told public broadcaster CyBC earlier in the month.
He added that many of the attacks appear to be racially motivated, a claim corroborated by several victims in recent weeks.
Earlier in the summer, delivery drivers in Limassol staged a protestagainst what they called a “frightening surge” in violent attacks against them and even stopped deliveries.
Around 300 people joined the demonstration, with one telling the Cyprus Mail that “everyone is afraid to do their job”.
“We’ve had eggs thrown at us, glass bottles smashed on our helmets, our bikes stolen. We can’t continue like this,” he added.
