A mother and her underage son were involved in a series of thefts in Mosta and St Paul’s Bay, the police said.

The two were apprehended by the Violent Crime Unit, the police said in a statement.

The thefts took place between 17 April and 13 July from residences where elderly people lived. Investigations revealed the same modus operandi – the woman and her son knocked on an elderly person’s home and begged for money.

When they left, the residents discovered that items that they had in the house had disappeared.

Police investigations led them to the arrest of the woman, aged 44 of Mosta, who used to be accompanied by her 12-year-old son on such visits.

The woman, whose name was not disclosed, was arraigned this morning and charged with committing five thefts and of not taking good care of her son. She was also accused of committing a crime during the operative period of two other court judgments.

She pleaded not guilty, but was remanded in custody.

The prosecution was led by Inspectors Lydon Zammit and Paula Ciantar.