Videos expose torture inside Pyla casino

Investigation into an organised criminal syndicate have been intensified police said on Monday after uncovering a number of videos showing the torture of at least seven people inside a casino in Pyla.

The footage, described in court as “shocking and degrading”, was found on two mobile phones belonging to a 48-year-old already on remand over the violent brawl and shooting outside Larnaca police headquarters on January 17.

The man, who has a long criminal record, is now facing an expanding list of offences including kidnapping, torture, conspiracy to commit a felony, illegal possession and transport of firearms, and causing grievous bodily harm.

According to Larnaca CID, the videos were recorded on multiple dates during 2025 and depict victims being held against their will inside what investigators referred to in court as an “office from hell” on the first floor of the casino.

Officers are examining more than 3,000 photos and videos seized from the suspects’ phones, with police saying the scale of the material points to sustained and systematic abuse.

In addition to the 48-year-old, a 27-year-old was remanded in custody for eight days on Sunday in connection with the torture case, while police are searching for a third, a foreign national, believed to have taken part both in the assaults and in the January shooting.

Investigators told the court that the videos show victims being beaten, threatened with firearms and knives, and forced to hand over money or confess to alleged offences.

In one recording, a man is seen with a swollen eye and visible head injuries as the 48-year-old punches him, insults him and spits in his face.

At one point, the victim appears to urinate during the assault.

In a continuation video, the suspect strikes the man on the head with a knife as he screams, threatening to mutilate him.

Other footage shows a foreign national begging not to be beaten as he is repeatedly struck on the head with a metal object while demands for money are shouted in English.

Blood is seen running from his nose before he collapses from a chair during a further assault involving the 27-year-old suspect and a third man still at large.

In another sequence, a victim is forced to sit on a sofa while the suspect pushes a gun into his mouth, questioning him while the weapon remains lodged between his teeth.

Additional videos show knives being sharpened in front of victims, hands being slashed, belts used to whip exposed bodies, and repeated kicks as victims cry and plead for mercy.

One victim appears in 16 separate videos filmed in the same room.

Police said he was interrogated about alleged surveillance of the suspect’s home, with the assailants accusing him of being sent to kill the 48-year-old.

In the footage, he clutches his head as he is shouted at, before being dragged and kicked by multiple attackers.

Prosecutors told the court that three of the seven victims have so far been identified, with efforts ongoing to trace the remaining four.

Statements presented said all the victims suffered savage abuse either to extort money or to extract confessions.

Police also revealed that months before the alleged torture, unknown individuals had set fire to the 48-year-old’s vehicle, while he has claimed there was also a plan to kill him.

The case forms part of a crackdown on organised crime in Larnaca linked to protection rackets, drug trafficking and extortion at nightclubs and entertainment venues.

Authorities believe a 47-year-old prominent businessman is the ringleader of a wider criminal syndicate, accused of controlling protection money through violence and intimidation.

He is among several suspects facing separate proceedings over interference in the January shooting case and other serious offences.

Court hearings in recent weeks have heard that the group has operated for several years, imposing security guards at venues, collecting cash payments and laundering proceeds.

The 48-year-old remains detained at the central prisons and is already awaiting trial over the January 17 violence, where shots were fired during a brawl involving multiple vehicles and individuals.

Police say an additional case file relating specifically to the torture videos is being prepared and will be referred to the courts as investigations continue.

Officers described the material uncovered as among the most disturbing they have encountered.