The Footage

In CCTV footage sent to Lovin Malta by the building manager, the man can be seen entering the block via the roof by hopping over from an adjacent building.

After pacing around and entering different hallways and areas, the man goes down to the ground floor, from where he entered a room then in which he spent around seven minutes, then exits empty handed, only to re-enter a minute later and emerge with a plastic bag of goods.

The man then takes the elevator to the top floor and exits through the roof, hopping over to another adjacent building.

 

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The Manager’s Story

When talking to Lovin Malta, the manager explained that in recent months, both him and his family have noted different items go missing around the premises, that at the time they believed were simply misplaced.

“Last month a jacket went missing and in recent weeks, we noted that some tools were missing too when we were conducting works in the building, but we just thought that they had been misplaced or something,” the manager told the newsroom.

It was only recently when the manager noted that some food items and a set of earpods had gone missing from the storage area on the ground floor of the building that he suspected they were being robbed.

It was at this point where they opted to check the CCTV footage, confirming their suspicions.

The manager noted that the bag the man can be seen leaving with contained the missing items and even that at some point he attempted to enter the room from which the tools were stolen from – a room that has since been locked tight.

The manager also reported that apart from the food, the man also stole around €150 worth from his brother’s wallet, but did not take the wallet in its entirety. These notes can also be seen briefly when the man takes them out as he’s riding the lift up back to the roof.

The Other Buildings

When talking to the owners of the adjacent buildings – the ones from which the suspect came from and escaped to – more questions arose.

The owners of the building from which the suspect emerged could not identify the man as a tenant of theirs, which raised a concern that he could have broken into their buildings as well. However, they did not report any missing items either, but CCTV footage of their premises is yet to be checked.

Meanwhile, the owners of the building the man escaped to, despite reporting no theft, “were certain” that they’ve seen the man roaming the street before.

“They told me that they were certain they’ve seen him before. They told me he’s known in the area for rummaging through trash for bottles to exchange for money,” the manager explained.

Police Response

Naturally, the manager brought up the case with the Sliema police station, who suggested for him to send the footage via email.

He noted that after sending them the footage last Tuesday, they have yet to open the WeTransfer link – which would notify the sender when it is opened.

It was at this point that the manager expressed his disappointment, bringing up a separate case of theft that the family faced a year ago.

“Last year we had €20,000 stolen from the office in the same building and we knew exactly who it was,” he explained, “We identified the person by name and we also discovered his address too and when we brought all the information and the CCTV footage to the police, they said they ‘were working on it’ but nothing ever came out of it.”

He also pointed out that when this incident was initially reported, he was advised to get in contact with the Msida police station, but, unbeknownst to him at the time, the station had been shut down for repairs indefinitely, lengthening the reporting process.

After this, he got in touch with the Sliema police station, where he was met with long waiting times and uncertainty.

This mirrors a similar case reported by the newsroom recently, where a series of thefts were reported by an Msida café that were met with similar delays from police due to the closure, which had been effect for the past two years.

Public Outreach

With the most recent theft in the apartment, the manager opted to take matters into his own hands and publish the CCTV footage online, pleading for help from the public in order to identify the alleged thief.

You can watch the full video on the YouTube channel, KGH: https://youtu.be/RplmyVs0ZD0?si=MOGl84asmFVhdUvz

Anyone with information on the individual in the video is urged to contact the Sliema police station or to call 21333924.