Police arrest 'shop busters'

A number of people, believed to form part of a gang of thieves who operated by using stolen cars to ram shop windows and then help themselves to the items on display, are expected to be arraigned in the coming days.

The police said yesterday they had succeeded in "solving" a string of thefts during which plasma screens and other valuable items were stolen. It resulted that over the past weeks a number of people were buying some of the plasma screens and items that had been reported missing.

This led the police to investigate a 29-year-old from Paola and a 23-year-old from Birzebbuga. Another 26-year-old from Birzebbuga and a 23-year-old from Hamrun were subsequently arrested.

The police said the cases solved included the theft of four vehicles that were used to commit the robberies, the theft of a number of plasma and LCD screens and other items from a clothes shop in San Gwann, theft from the KIA showroom in Qormi, a robbery from a Sliema foreign exchange bureau, theft from a Sliema ironmongery, a robbery from a shop in Mosta and thefts from outlets selling domestic appliances in Qormi and Zebbug.