New evidence is coming to light from the extensive investigation by authorities into the murder of Vaggelis Zambounis in the Neos Kosmos district of Athens, in January 2024. One day after a key suspect in the case was arrested in the Occupied Territories of Cyprus, surveillance footage that experienced police officers had in their possession — and which helped them unravel the mystery behind this brutal crime — has been made public.
The video evidence that tied the killers to the Vaggelis Zambounis murder in Neos Kosmos
Specifically, four key pieces of video footage appear to have played a pivotal role in identifying the second alleged perpetrator. The material was captured by security cameras at a hideout used in Aspropyrgos and was first presented by SKAI television.
The first video shows the two alleged perpetrators shortly after the murder of Vaggelis Zambounis, as they make their way to a house in Aspropyrgos that they reportedly used as a hideout. Of particular interest is the backpack carried by one of the two men. According to police, the bag contained the Kalashnikov rifles used in the assassination.
The second video, captured by a camera inside the same property, shows the two men in the background, in a basement area. The audio recording features the distinctive sound of a saw. According to investigators, the two alleged perpetrators were attempting to cut up the Kalashnikovs used in the murder, in an effort to destroy any traces or evidence that could link them to the case.
The phone call in Russian and the image that revealed his identity
The third video captures one of the two men making a phone call in Russian. According to reports, during the conversation he informs the person on the other end of the line that they have “cleaned” the evidence. This particular footage added yet another piece to the investigative puzzle, as the movements and conversations of the two men provided authorities with significant leads in the case. The most decisive piece of evidence, however, appears to have emerged from the fourth video. In it, one of the two men — whom authorities had until that point been unable to identify — is clearly visible on camera.
The hard drive they forgot to destroy
Yet another critical mistake by those involved also proved decisive in exposing their actions: they failed to remove and destroy the hard drive from the security camera recording system. Just three days after the murder of Vaggelis Zambounis, police carried out a search of the property used as a hideout, as part of a broader investigation into the murder of another member of the so-called Greek Mafia. During the search, the security camera’s hard drive was located and seized. The footage stored on it proved, according to investigative findings, to be of exceptional value — recording faces, movements, and actions reportedly linked to the Zambounis murder, and ultimately contributing to the identification of the second alleged perpetrator.
