Four teenagers aged 14-16 are being held by the police charged with theft of motorbikes and attempted theft from a shop, the police said in a statement. The youths all hail from Qormi.

The arrests took place on Monday around midnight when police on beat in Marsaxlokk noticed a young man on a motorbike without a crash helmet. When the officers tried to approach him, the young man just abandoned the motorbike and started running. Close by were three other young men, who as soon as they saw the police attempted to flee as well. As they fled, one of them left a bag on the ground.

All four were consequently caught by police officers of Marsaxlokk, Birzebbugia and members of the mobile squad.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the first motorcycle together with another motorcycle the youths were using were stolen. Another bike the youths had had stolen registration plates.
The bag which one of the youths left on the ground contained a number of tools and a black scarf. An attempted forced entry was also reported from a shop in the area.

Further investigations are underway.