A man who allegedly committed a string of thefts from shops and parked cars in Valletta and Qormi was remanded in custody upon his arraignment on Wednesday.

Rashid I Ramadan Aljabo, a 29-year old car sprayer from Libya with no fixed residence, was arrested after a weeks-long joint operation between community police officers and district officers stationed in Valletta and Qormi.

The first theft allegedly took place on March 31 when a mobile phone was reported stolen from outside a Valletta restaurant.

Other reports poured in as perfumes, wallets, cash and other items were reported stolen from various stores around the capital throughout April and May.

On May 30, a theft was reported at a Hamrun bakery.

More thefts followed throughout June from clothing stores in Qormi.

Items were also reported missing from three parked vehicles in Qormi. There were two failed attempted thefts from cars in Qormi on July 6.

Investigators homed in on the suspect thanks to CCTV footage, but tracking him down was difficult as he had no fixed address. He was finally arrested while sleeping in stables in Marsa. 

In court, he pleaded not guilty to a raft of offences including aggravated theft, wilful damage to third party property and attempted theft.

He was also charged with recidivism and committing the alleged crimes while under probation.

No request for bail was made at arraignment stage and Magistrate Doreen Clarke, remanded the accused in custody.

Inspectors Gabriel Micallef, Mark Cremona and Clayton Camilleri prosecuted.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Francesca Zarb were defence counsel.