Alex Trelinski
TWO men have been arrested in Alicante for stealing 120 racing pigeons from a Benidorm pigeon club.
The club was robbed twice within ten days with the birds valued at €100,000.
The Policia Nacional said the pigeon rustlers- Spaniards aged 20 and 32- had criminal records.
They were also knowledgeable on which were the most valuable birds to be taken.
Plain-clothed officers spotted the men walking down an Alicante street with boxes containing some of the stolen pigeons taken just hours before from Benidorm.
A close friend of one of the arrested men told the Informacion newspaper that his mate did not steal the birds but had bought them in his locality.
74 pigeons were recovered within two days as investigations continue to find the remainder of the stolen birds.
Racing pigeon robberies are nothing new in Alicante Province, with the Guardia Civil arresting a six-strong gang of thieves including two children earlier this year.
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