Food courier faces military court after accidentally crossing into the north

A Bangladeshi food delivery rider working in Nicosia is due to appear before a military court in the north after inadvertently crossing the divide while trying to deliver an order, his employer confirmed on Monday.

Hasan Kibria, a motorcycle courier employed by a food courier operator, crossed into the north on Thursday, January 29, after being misdirected by GPS while searching for an address in Nicosia.

Kibria, who does not speak English and arrived in Cyprus in December last year, is believed to have been unaware that Nicosia is a divided city.

According to information received by the Cyprus Mail, Kibria passed through the Ayios Dhometios crossing from the south and was later stopped at the Kermia checkpoint after attempting to proceed further without completing the required procedures.

Unable to explain his situation, he was detained.

Kibria has since spent around ten days in detention and is expected to face a military court hearing on Thursday.

His employer, Andreas Kyriakides, told the Cyprus Mail on Monday that the company only became aware of the situation after the courier disappeared along with his motorcycle.

“Hasan is new to Cyprus and does not speak English,” Kyriakides said.

“We believe the GPS directed him the wrong way. I honestly have no idea how this could have happened otherwise.”

Kyriakides said the courier service initially contacted the authorities after losing contact with the rider but received no clear information.

“When nothing came back, we started to consider the possibility that he had crossed to the north,” he said.

After about a week, the food courier managed to trace Kibria’s whereabouts.

“We were informed of his situation by a Turkish Cypriot lawyer who was assigned to represent him,” Kyriakides said, adding that neither the police nor other authorities in the Republic have so far issued any formal comment.

Kibria was working legally in Cyprus and held a valid work permit at the time of the incident.

His motorcycle was also reported missing when contact with him was lost.

Kyriakides said the company is providing legal support and hopes the matter will be resolved quickly.

“This was clearly an accident,” he said. “We are waiting to see how the court handles it.”

There has been no official response from authorities in the north regarding the charges Kibria faces, nor any statement from police in the government-controlled areas.

Speaking to the Cyprus Mail, the Bangledesh honorary consulate in Nicosia confirmed that Hasan Kibria is indeed being detained in the north and the consulate are at present unable to receive any further information regarding the court proceedings.

The outcome of Thursday’s hearing is expected to determine whether Kibria will be released and allowed to return to his job, or face further legal consequences stemming from his unintended crossing.