A 30-year-old Bulgarian woman was arraigned in court today on accusations of having brazenly travelled to Malta a number of times, for the purpose of stealing.

Mariyana Borisova, who most recently had been staying at a Bugibba hotel, had been under police watch for some time, before she was arrested yesterday at the airport’s departure gate, as she was about to catch a flight back to her home country.

Borisova was accused with a string of theft-related crimes dating back to March this year, with the police saying that she would come to Malta, steal money, and go back to Bulgaria, only to unashamedly return and steal again.

She was accused of having, on 27 March, stolen an envelope containing cash from a woman at the New Look store in Valletta, and of on 21 May, in Mosta, stolen a woman’s purse, which contained money, documents and a credit card, and then having used the credit card to withdraw money, using a stolen PIN code, from an ATM in the same town.

She was also charged with stealing another woman’s purse, also containing money, documents and a credit card, on 23 May in Valletta - and attempting to unsuccessfully withdraw money from an ATM using such card - and of stealing an unknown person’s wallet on 4 June.

Borisova pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against her. No request for bail was made.

Lawyers Shazoo Ghaznavi and Charlon Gouder appeared for the accused.

The case continues.