A shocking robbery on a Sliema kiosk that left one watchman gagged and unconscious for three hours with thousands of euros stolen may have been an inside job.

Though it is still early, initial reports have investigators considering that the two hooded men that robbed the kiosk may have had intimate knowledge of Mason’s Bistro in Għar id-Dud, Sliema, since they knew exactly where the safe was, and even had a key for it.

Among the more suspicious pieces of evidence include the men knowing the perfect time to rob the place, 4:30am on Monday morning, and the two men locking the safe behind them as they left.

“The fact that the theft was carried out between Sunday and Monday was highly indicative as it shows that the thieves had been tipped off that on this particular day of the week the safe would contain a big sum of money,” a source close to the investigation told the Times of Malta.

The two men reportedly spoke with “a foreign accent”, though their faces were not recorded by CCTV as they were hooded. The men waited for the watchman, a 40-year-old Pakistani man, before attacking him and gagging him, threatening him with a gun.

“They waited for the watchman to exit the kiosk from a steel backdoor and while taking out some items, they forced their way in and assaulted him,” a source said.

The watchmen, who was originally reported as being Indian, enjoys the trust of the owner of Mason’s Bistro, having recently stopped someone from robbing some cakes on display in the kiosk.

The watchman himself was found at around 7:30am by kiosk staff, who found him gagged, bound and unconscious on the floor. He was taken to hospital where he was confirmed to have slight injuries. He was discharged on Monday.

Investigations into the crime continue.

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