A young pickpocket wrung her hands in despair, almost on the verge of tears, upon being told that she was to be remanded in custody, all plans of flying back to her homeland on Tuesday firmly out of the window.

Bulgarian-national Evdokiya Zlatkova, a 23-year old lady on a visit to Malta, was caught red-handed yesterday afternoon just about to make off with the purse of a female commuter on board a bus in Tower Road, Sliema early on Sunday afternoon.

The suspect had boarded the bus, unaware of police surveillance officers on her heels. Just as she had surreptitiously opened the handbag of an unwary passenger on the bus and was about to slip her hand inside, the officers pounced upon her, thereby thwarting her plan.

The young culprit was marched to court on Monday morning where she denied the charge of attempted theft, making a request for bail.

However, this request was turned down by presiding magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace in view of the fact that the woman appeared to have no fixed address, with inspector Jonathan Ransley pointing out that upon her arrest the alleged pickpocket had refused to supply any information about her residence in Malta.

The anxious-looking young lady was led out of the courtroom with a now-useless flight ticket allegedly in her possession.

Lawyer David Camilleri was legal aid counsel.

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