A 44-year-old man has been arrested in Santa Luċija, hours after allegedly breaking into a shop in Paola during the early hours of Thursday morning.

Police said officers on patrol at around 2.40am noticed a broken shop window in Antoine De Paule Square.

Investigations revealed that a vehicle had crashed into the shop window before a man allegedly got out of the vehicle, stole items from the premises and fled the scene.

The vehicle was later found abandoned in Tarxien. Further checks established that it had also been reported stolen.

Following further investigations, police identified the suspect and arrested him in Santa Luċija.

Police investigations are ongoing, and the man is expected to be arraigned in court later today.

Source: Malta Police Facebook

Image: Malta Police Facebook