Two young Indian defendents, aged 20 and 24, were brought before the investigating magistrate today (6 August), accused of the brutal murder of the 58-year-old psychologist in Nafplio.

The pair appeared before the judicial authorities after the deadline they had been given to prepare their defence had expired. Panagiotis Beskas, the defence lawyer representing the 20-year-old, had asked for more time to study the case file and organise his client’s defence.

According to the local news website argolikeseidhseis.gr, tension ran high outside the courthouse as relatives and friends of the victim jeered the two defendants, shouting “murderers” as they were led in.

The timeline of the case

The case began to unfold on 25 July, when a relative of the 58-year-old reported him missing to the Nafplio Crime Detection and Investigation Department.

A large scale search operation ran for nine days, involving the Hellenic Police, the Fire Service, the Special Disaster Response Unit (EMAK), the Hellenic Coast Guard, the Hellenic Rescue Team of Argolida, and volunteers.

The search reached a tragic conclusion on 2 August, when the 58-year-old’s body was found in a rural area of Kandia, Argolida.

According to the Hellenic Police, on the night of 24 July the two defendants got into the psychologist’s car and, in an area within the Municipality of Nafplio, are alleged to have restrained him before fatally stabbing him. They then took his money and mobile phone before fleeing in his car, which they abandoned a short time later on a hillside near their homes.

The two men were arrested on 2 August in Attica, in a coordinated police operation involving the Directorate for Combating Organised Crime and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. They have been charged with homicide, robbery, and violation of weapons legislation.