Money, jewellery stolen in two armed hold-ups

Knife-wielding men, probably foreigners, carried out two hold-ups on Saturday night, the police said.

In the first case, a family sitting on a bench at Xatt ir-Risq, Vittoriosa, were approached by two men, one of whom was armed with a knife. The thieves stole a necklace and some jewellery the man was wearing, rummaged through the woman's handbag and ran off.

In another case, a man driving a car in Manwel Dimech Street, St Julians, found the road blocked by another car out of which rushed a man brandishing a knife. He pointed it at the driver's throat and stole Lm40 from his wallet. The victim sustained a slight injury to his neck.

Police sources said that although the amount of money stolen in both thefts was small the thefts themselves were considered to be serious because of the way they were carried out.

There have been several other hold-ups over the past few weeks. A thief on a motorcycle stole about Lm80 from an elderly man in Vittoriosa on September 6 and fired shots at three people who rushed to help the victim.

Two hold-ups were committed in mid-August on two lotto booths, also in the Cottonera area. Thieves who had just committed a hold up on a lotto booth in Ghajn Dwieli shot and slightly injured a pursuer.