Three men were arrested by the police early on Saturday after they were caught stealing fibre optic cables in Floriana, the police said.

The police were notified that unknown persons were removing the cables from a tunnel close to the Argotti Gardens.

Upon arriving, officers noticed a man carrying cables. The man tried to hide from the officers but he was later arrested. The man is aged 39, and resides in Marsascala.

Further searches led to the arrest of another two men, one resident in Zejtun and the other of Nigerian nationality.