Hold-up at Birkirkara gaming shop was inside job, say police

An armed robbery of a gaming shop this week was in fact an inside job, according to police.

Police have apprehended two people in connection with an armed robbery of a gaming outlet in Birkirkara that took place on Wednesday morning.

The robbery took place at around 8:15 am on Wednesday, at the outlet in Valley Road, Birkirkara. At the scene police found the employee, aged 32 from Attard, who explained that he had just left the shop with a bag containing the shop’s money and was opening his car when a motorcycle stopped near him. The rider pulled out a knife and took the bag full of cash before fleeing the scene.

Using CCTV footage recovered from the shop, investigators say they arrived at the identity of the perpetrators in less than 48 hours.

But police investigations also turned up evidence showing that the employee was, in fact, involved in the robbery, together with the alleged thief, a 42 year old man from Gzira.

Searches in a various garages and other properties returned the motorcycle used in the crime, with the vast majority of the cash still hidden inside it.

The two men will be arraigned under arrest before magistrate Doreen Clarke this morning.