Theft victim advises vigilance

A woman who on Saturday was robbed of Lm302 at the Valletta market yesterday warned people to watch out for people who were ready to help themselves and steal from handbags.

The woman, a pensioner from Valletta, was shopping from a grocer's stall at about 11.45 am.

"There were a few other women queuing at the time and I opened my handbag to pay. A woman, who I would say was in her 20s, brushed against me and showed the vendor some packets.

"I saw him eyeing her rather sternly and I though he was suspecting she was going to steal something from his stall. But when I went home I realised my purse was missing," she said.

The woman said she had just cashed two cheques at Bank of Valletta and had Lm302, with which she intended to buy a washing machine.

"When I filed a report at the police station yesterday I was told that someone had found my ID card, but not the money," she said.

Police sources said there were five reports of similar thefts last week.

A few weeks ago there was a spate of similar cases and two groups of Bulgarians were charged in court and then deported after they admitted to a string of thefts.

The sources said the incidence of pick pocketing and similar thefts had stopped following the deportations.