Five foreigners charged with a spate of thefts in Sliema, St Julian's, Gzira, St Paul's Bay and Pieta form part of an international criminal organisation, a court heard today.

A police inspector spoke about the way some of the thefts were carried out and also revealed how a bus ticket proved to be a breakthrough in police investigations. 

An investigation by the police forensics team showed that one of the accused, Mate Oniani, 25, has a tattoo that shows he is part of the international criminal organisation. Such tattoos denote the members' rank within the organisation.

The details emerged during testimony by Inspector Kurt Zahra during the compilation of evidence.

Sliema police station

The accused are: Kartlos Dolaberidze, 41, from Georgia; Krzysztof Tadeusz Latocha, 30, from Poland; a man without official documents claiming to be Algidras Sliogeris, 49, from Lithuania; Adilet Shakirgazieva, 27, from Kyrgyztan, and Mr Oniani. 

The court heard that the items stolen from the apartments included cash, gold and jewellery. 

The robbers did not force their way in but they would leave socks used to break in lying around.

SEPARATE HAULS OF €50,000, €30,000 and €25,000

Inspector Jonathan Ransley, mentioned a robbery from an apartment in Tigne Court, Sliema, last year. The owner got out of the house around 6pm, and when she returned she noticed the door was not closed as she had left it. However there were no signs of a break in. A total of €50,000 worth of gold, jewels and other items had been stolen.

She told the police that at around 4pm, someone had rung her intercom, however the person at the other end spoke in Italian and told her he called the wrong apartment. 

He also mentioned another theft of items worth €25,000 from an apartment on Sir Adrian Dingli Street, and another from an apartment owned by Magistrate Ian Farrugia.

Insp. Ransley said there was also a robbery from an apartment in Tigne Street in Sliema. CCTV footage showed two men, one in a white shirt, and another one in a black shirt, two of the accused. One of them is seen on CCTV opening the door in five seconds.

BUS TICKET BREAKTHROUGH

The breakthrough in the investigations happened following a theft from an apartment in Triq Nazzareno, Sliema where €9,000 in cash and other jewellery were stolen.

A bus ticket was found outside of this block of apartments, which had been bought in Qawra at around 6.45pm. The ticket was for bus route 12, which goes through Triq Nazzareno, Sliema,

The police suspected that the robbers were taking the bus on their way to rob a place, and that they lived in Qawra. They examined CCTV footage around bus stages in Sliema and Qawra, and the two burglars spotted at Tigne Street were caught on tape here as well. 

On September 9, police officers started following two people, and one of the officers boarded the bus with them. Latocha and Dolaberidze were arrested when they got off in St Paul's Bay. 

Once they were arrested, the police broadened their investigation and they were informed that the accused lived in Andrew Cunningham Street, Qawra.

There, the police found the three other men, and the apartment was searched. Among others they found a steel instrument similar to another one they had found in a robbed apartment in Gzira last year.

Other items found on site included cash, jewellery, watches, a small driller and tools to file keys. 

As soon as they were arrested, the five said they were not going to disclose any information, and Mr Sliogeris said he was not going to talk. The others said they were scared and did not provide information on where the stolen items had ended up.

At the end of the sitting, the court turned down the request for bail. Ms Shakirgazieva was seen in tears.

The case continues on October 2.