Police investigating murder of British mother in Greece arrest man on Bulgarian border
16 May 2021, 14:32 | Updated: 16 May 2021, 14:37
Police investigating the murder of a British mother in Greece have arrested a man on the border with Bulgaria, local media reports.
After the arrest it was reported that DNA analysis linked the man, from Georgia, to a burglary in Pikermi which saw an elderly couple tied up while raiders ransacked their home on March 7.
The suspect was arrested after allegedly trying travel by car from Greece to Bulgaria on a fake passport, local newspaper Vima reported.
Charalambos Anagnostopoulos, 32, was asleep alongside his wife Caroline Crouch, 20, and their baby when three burglars broke into their home in Glyka Nera, near Athens, shortly before dawn on Tuesday.
READ MORE: British mum, 20, tortured and killed in front of 11-month-old daughter
Ms Crouch was tied up and strangled while civil aviation pilot Mr Anagnostopoulos was bound and gagged as the intruders searched their property for cash and jewellery.
Mr Anagostopoulos said he caught a glimpse of his wife’s killer during the attack. He will be shown mugshots of 30 suspects tomorrow.
Police believe that the killer was unaware that Mr Anagostopoulos saw his face, but murdered his wife because she did.
State-run ERT TV said the family's dog was also killed, while the baby was unharmed.
Speaking to broadcasters outside their home last week, Mr Anagnostopoulos said: "I wish no-one ever goes through what we went through last night. It was a nightmare.
"We begged the thieves not to harm us. We told them where the money was and asked them to leave us alone. The police will catch them."
The burglars escaped with cash and jewellery, while Mr Anagnostopoulos called police after managing to loosen his bonds.
A £260,000 was been announced by the Greek Government.
The minister responsible for public order, Michalis Chrisochoidis, described the killing as "particularly heinous".
He added: "One rarely encounters such barbarity in Greece, in Greek society, even among criminals."
Two teams of detectives have been set up to handle the investigation, he said.
