Hospital clerk confesses to theft, police say

A 49-year-old clerk at the Larnaca hospital emergency room confessed to stealing the day’s revenues – some €4,000 – early on Monday morning, police said on Tuesday.

According to unnamed police sources cited by the Cyprus News Agency, suspicion lay on the 49-year-old after he reported the money stolen.

His initial denials were soon replaced by a confession on Tuesday, in which he justified the theft with his financial troubles, and informed investigators of the spot where he kept his loot, the CNA said.

The man was charged with theft by a public official and released until trial.

However, police investigations also confirmed that the man was not involved in the break-in of the hospital’s accounting department last Friday, in which a safe containing roughly €18,000 was removed.

The 49-year-old clerk reported at 4:30am on Monday that, while he had been manning his post at the emergency room, an unidentified man in a hoodie entered his office through a side door.

According to the man’s bogus story, the unknown trespasser brandished a gun, pushed the 49-year-old to the ground, and made him hand over the day’s revenues – €3,980.

But in evaluating his story, police became suspicious after other employees at Larnaca General stated he has a tendency to lie, prompting his arrest on Monday.