Birkirkara Man Arrested Over Malta’s Summer of Stolen Scooters

A 28-year-old Birkirkara man was hauled before a magistrate yesterday after police linked him to a six-month spree of motorcycle thefts that has left riders from Valletta to Mellieħa checking their locks twice before bed. The suspect, whose name is under a court-issued publication ban, was arrested during a dawn raid on a Qormi garage where investigators recovered five stolen bikes, power tools, and a stack of forged licence plates that could outfit a small fleet.

For many Maltese, a motorcycle is more than transport—it is a summer lifeline. When the islands swell with tourists and traffic crawls along the coast road, a nimble 125cc scooter lets locals slip down side streets, hop the Gozo ferry, or squeeze into parking bays barely big enough for a pastizz. Losing that freedom hits hard, and over the past half-year at least 38 riders have filed reports after waking to empty driveways and snapped chains.

Inspector Kurt Zahra, who led the Rapid Intervention Unit’s investigation, told Hot Malta that the pattern was as brazen as it was consistent. “The thief targeted scooters and light motorbikes parked outside blocks of flats, especially in areas like St Julian’s, Sliema and Gżira where space is tight and owners leave bikes on the pavement,” he said. “He used battery-powered angle grinders to cut through disc locks in under 30 seconds, then wheeled the bikes into a white van waiting nearby.”

CCTV footage from a Balluta Bay hotel finally cracked the case. Detectives tracked the van’s number plates—later discovered to be false—to a rental agency in Marsa, whose records led them to the Birkirkara suspect. A search of his phone revealed encrypted messages arranging quick sales of stripped parts to buyers as far away as Sicily, fuelling an illicit trade that has quietly simmered beneath Malta’s sun-soaked surface for years.

Outside the law courts, a small crowd of victims gathered to catch a glimpse of the accused. Among them was 22-year-old student Martina Cassar, whose bright-red Vespa Primavera vanished from outside her Swieqi flat in March. “I saved for three summers of waitressing in St Julian’s to buy that bike,” she said, clutching a folder of receipts. “Without it I had to start taking three buses to university, and I was late to every lecture. Seeing the guy in handcuffs felt like justice, but I still want my Vespa back in one piece.”

The Maltese Motorcycle Federation estimates that thefts have surged 40 % since 2021, an uptick blamed on rising second-hand prices and weak penalties. “A €50 fine for buying a stolen exhaust on Facebook Marketplace is pocket change,” said federation president Etienne Bezzina. “We need harsher deterrents and a national database of frame numbers so buyers can check if a bike is clean before handing over cash.”

Beyond statistics, the wave of thefts has frayed nerves in village cores where doors once stayed unlocked. In Qormi, parish priest Fr Mario Cilia used Sunday’s homily to urge worshippers to look out for neighbours’ bikes. “Our streets are narrow, our communities tight,” he told the congregation. “If a stranger is pushing a scooter at 3 a.m., call the police. Charity begins at home, but vigilance protects it.”

Meanwhile, motorcycle owners are fighting back with old-school ingenuity. Facebook groups like “Malta Bike Watch” share daily photos of suspicious vans; Għargħur mechanic Karl Borg has started offering free engraving of chassis numbers on hidden parts; and a Valletta start-up is prototyping GPS trackers that hide inside the seat and text an owner the moment a bike moves an inch without the key.

During yesterday’s arraignment, the accused pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated theft, money laundering, and criminal association. He was remanded in custody after the prosecution argued he posed a flight risk. The court also froze three bank accounts allegedly used to funnel profits abroad.

As the sun dipped over the Grand Harbour, riders gathered at the Msida yacht marina for an impromptu “light parade” organised by the federation—hundreds of scooters and cruisers threading through traffic with headlights blazing, a rolling reminder that Malta’s two-wheeled spirit refuses to be dimmed. “Tonight we ride for every stolen bike,” Bezzina shouted over revving engines. “Tomorrow we ride smarter.”