Lm5,000 stolen in lotto booth hold-up

About Lm5,000 were stolen in a hold-up at a lotto booth in Naxxar yesterday morning, police sources said.

Two hooded robbers, armed with a shotgun, burst into the booth at about 11.30 a.m., shortly before closing time, demanding cash from the lotto receiver.

Unhappy with the amount handed over, they asked for more and the lotto receiver went to the bathroom and gave them the money he stored there.

The police said last night the robbers took a black suitcase containing a "substantial amount of money".

The lotto booth is just a block away from the police station in 21 September Avenue.

Several people were in the lotto booth at the time but no one was injured.

The sources said a third accomplice waited in a getaway car double-parked on the main road.

The car used by the robbers, a Toyota Corolla station wagon stolen from Ghaxaq on Monday, was later found in Naxxar.

One lotto receiver said the robbers might have chosen to strike yesterday because the takings of lotto booths were expected to be higher than normal, given that yesterday's Super 5 lottery carried a minimum jackpot of Lm210,000.