A suspected shop burglar evaded police by hiding on the false ceiling of a shop for five hours on Wednesday, while another was found hiding in a bathroom.
The police said they were alerted to the theft at a shop in Valley Road, Birkirkara, at 8.45am.
Officers who rushed to the area found a broken door and started a room to room search over three storeys.
On the third floor they heard noises and eventually discovered a man hiding in a bathroom. He refused to cooperate and the officers broke down the door and arrested him at about 10am.
In view of suspicion that the arrested man had not acted alone, officers inspected CCTV footage and confirmed that another man was also involved.
The search continued until a sniffer dog called Thor at 2pm indicated that there was somebody on the false ceiling.
The man tried to flee but was quickly apprehended.
The two men are aged 37 and 25, both residents of Birkirkara. They are being held under arrest at police headquarters.