A suspected thief who allegedly made off with some €40,000 in cash and jewellery from two private residences on Monday, was remanded in custody upon his arraignment on Sunday.

Pietro Palamar, a 34-year-old Ukrainian national living at Mellieħa, was escorted to court to face charges over the thefts which allegedly took place during the Santa Marija public holiday.

Several items, including cash, jewellery and a set of ear pods, were reported stolen from two apartments in a block on Triq Rużar Briffa, Mosta.

Investigations placed police on the tracks of the suspect who was located at a Mellieħa apartment where he was living with other persons.

When officers knocked at the Mellieħa flat, no one answered their call.

Sensing that there was somebody inside, the police forced their way in and subsequently arrested the suspect.

A search of his room yielded some of the allegedly stolen goods, including branded items which were identified by the lawful owners.

However, the man, who is unemployed, denied any wrongdoing and claimed that he had bought those items from Buġibba. 

Upon arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to two separate charges of aggravated theft as well as handling stolen property. 

Since it was not yet clear whether the accused would be able to return to the Mellieħa shared apartment, it was doubtful whether he could produce a fixed address.

In light of this, the defence did not request bail at arraignment stage and the court, presided over by magistrate Lara Lanfranco, remanded the accused in custody.

Inspectors Joseph Mercieca and Christina Delia prosecuted.

Lawyer Franco Debono was defence counsel.