A police statement said the incident took place at about noon when the car of the 50-year-old lotto receiver from Sliema was blocked by another vehicle as he was driving along Palm Street in Paola.

Two armed and hooded robbers got out of the car that had blocked the receiver’s and stole a bag which contained cash and an unspecified number of telephone cards. The men then fled in the car which was driven by a third person. The getaway car was found abandoned in Marsa.

The lotto receiver and the 72-year-old man from Paola who was accompanying him were not injured.

Duty Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima was informed about the case and appointed several court experts to assist her in the inquiry. Paola district police are investigating the hold up.