Two charged with robbing cab company drivers in Gozo

Two men have denied robbing drivers working for a ride-hailing company in Gozo, during their arraignment this afternoon.

Inspector Bernard Charles Spiteri arraigned the two suspects, 42-year-old Abdelsalam Nouri Alallagi, a Libyan man who lives in Munxar and 26-year-old Richard Bugeja from Ghajnsielem, before Magistrate Simone Grech in Gozo, on charges which included theft, inflicting slight injuries and carrying a knife in public without a licence.

The arraignment was announced in a statement released by the police earlier today, which said the men had been arrested after intensive investigations carried out by the Gozo district police, into two robberies which took place in Marsalforn during the night of July 10.

The court heard how the men were apprehended after a police investigation into two separate incidents where ride-hailing drivers were robbed of cash, one of them at knifepoint. One driver is understood to have suffered slight injuries during the stick up.

The men pleaded not guilty to the charges and were released on bail.

Lawyers Kevin Mompalao and Daniel Calleja appeared as defence counsel for the accused.