Two would-be thieves were caught after their robbery on a Birkirkara shop went sideways.

The two men, aged 25 and 37, both from Birkirkara, are currently being held under arrest.

Police were called to a shop in Valley Road, Birkirkara, at around 8.45am Wednesday morning following reports of a suspected theft.

Officers discovered a broken glass door at the entrance, and began searching each room in the three storey building. During the search, they heard sounds coming from the third floor, and soon after found one man hiding in the bathroom.

Though he was caught, the man refused to cooperate with officers, leading to them breaking down the door to apprehend him.

He was arrested at around 10am.

Officers checked CCTV footage, and believed there was a second man involved in the robbery. Thor the sniffer dog was called in to help with the search, and at around 2pm Thor indicated that there was someone hiding in the ceiling.

Upon being found, the man tried to escape, but was caught at around 2pm, after about five hours in the ceiling.