The murderer of a Greek expatriate in Australia lived in Aigio under the name "Antonis" - How the authorities caught him 27 years after the crime

The 55-year-old was one of the most wanted people by the Australian authorities and Interpol.

It was 1999, when Dalamagas murdered expatriate Giorgos Giannopoulos outside a Greek nightclub in the Sydney suburb of Belmore. The victim lost his life when he stepped in to stop a fight between two patrons. Dalamagas allegedly attacked him unexpectedly, inflicting fatal blows with a knife.

Australian authorities issued an arrest warrant for him, however, he managed to escape to Greece.

According to pelop, the wanted man had changed his identity and was living in a village in Aigialeia, where he had set up his permanent residence, appearing to the local community under the false name "Antonis Tzimas".

According to thebest, the 55-year-old was subjected to a police check while leaving the house with his father and partner. When they asked him for his information, he used another name instead of his real one. The police were not convinced as they had information about his identity and brought him in. Finally, after their persistent questions, he admitted that he was the person wanted by the Australian authorities.

The same information states that it is estimated that he had been in Greece for the last 12 years.

In 2003, the Australian authorities submitted a formal extradition request, which failed. Four years later, in 2007, the Greek authorities agreed to stand trial in Greece, but he disappeared without a trace, leading to the suspension of the judicial proceedings.

Under Greek law, this specific offence is subject to a 25-year statute of limitations, which expired in April 2024.

Although he considered that the case was definitively closed for him after the statute of limitations in Greece, international law enforcement authorities, as well as Interpol, continued their relentless search for him, maintaining a red notice for his search.

After his arrest, he was transferred to the Aigio Police Sub-Division, where he is being held. In the coming days, the planned legal proceedings regarding the request for his extradition to the Australian authorities are expected to begin.