The police on Friday searched 83 apartments in Larnaca and checked a total of 107 individuals, nine of whom were arrested for residing illegally in Cyprus.

The operation was decided at a recent meeting in Larnaca in the presence of Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis.

It was carried out from 6am till 2pm in cooperation with the Larnaca municipality and the Fire Service.

Apart from the nine illegal residents, one individual was arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court.

Furthermore, during traffic checks, 14 people were reported for various violations, such as driving without a licence, road tax or MOT, failing to wear a seatbelt and using a phone while driving.

Two others were stopped with the numberplate recognition system for unpaid fines and were released after settling the amounts due.

A further two individuals were reported in connection with the use of e-scooters.

Larnaca municipality and Fire Service officers reported noise and safety issues.