Police stepping up their fight against crime, had a busy day in court on Thursday with a string of theft-related arraignments. 

Besides the arraignment of two men over a spate of holdups on delivery men in the past days, police also arraigned a 27-year old Floriana man, Niko Zammit, who landed himself back in hot water after stealing four sweaters from a Sliema retail store.

The theft took place on February 24, merely three days after the accused had been conditionally discharged for two years in separate proceedings.

Investigations, including analysis of CCTV footage from the shop at the Tigne shopping mall, led to the tracking down of the suspect.

Inspector Colin Sheldon on Thursday charged the man with theft as well as relapsing. 

In view of the accused’s guilty plea, the court condemned him to a jail term of 35 days. 

The same punishment was handed down to a 19-year old Hamrun resident, Giorgio Vasta, who was charged with stealing cash from a delivery man who was distributing food at Qawra on Wednesday afternoon. 

A stranger had walked up to him, asking him to change some cash.

Yet no sooner had the unsuspecting victim drawn out some banknotes from his pocket, than the stranger snatched them from his grasp, fleeing down the street and disappearing inside an apartment block close by. 

The victim filed a report at the nearby police station. 

Action was promptly taken and the suspect thief was soon arrested.

Upon his arraignment on Thursday, the teenager admitted that he had resorted to theft after ending up jobless. 

Magistrate Charmaine Galea presided over the arraignment.

Inspector Godwin Scerri prosecuted.