Armed thieves steal cash from company depot

Thieves set their getaway car on fire after stealing money from a Farsons depot in Gharghur Street, Birkirkara yesterday morning.

One of the thieves also fired shots when he raided the empty office.

The theft occurred at about 11.30 a.m. when a Kia Avella car with two people inside stopped in front of the depot, situated in an uninhabited area near Tal-Balal. Two armed and hooded individuals alighted and one of them ran straight into the company office. No one was inside the office at the time.

The police said preliminary investigations showed that a 26-year-old company employee from Zebbug had just left the office when the thieves' car arrived.

The police said the employee told officers that shots were fired when one of the thieves was inside the office.

Sources said the shots were probably fired to open a drawer from where a sum of money was stolen.

The sources added that the haul amounted to just over Lm1,800 in cash.

The thieves then fled in the Kia which was found burnt in Il-Qasbi Street, about 300 metres from the establishment they burgled. The car was reported stolen by its owner some days ago.

Magistrate Lawrence Quintano appointed a team of court experts to help him in the inquiry.