The Local Police in Elche recovered seven competition pigeons allegedly stolen by four minors in the town, who were observed running out of the undergrowth of a field located on the old road to Santa Pola, next to the EL-20. There they found the cages with the animals, with their respective identification rings.
As reported by the consistory, after carrying out the pertinent procedures with different security forces, as well as with the Association of Colombiculture of Alicante, they found out that four owners had already filed a complaint for the theft.
Around 5:00 p.m. on April 4, a motorcycle patrol from the municipal security force that was carrying out surveillance functions along the old Santa Pola road next to the EL-20, observed the young people running out of the undergrowth of an open field when they noticed the police presence.
This reaction made the agents suspicious, who decided to follow them and intercept one of them, who told them that one of his friends had yelled “run”. Faced with the “little credibility” of his reply, they decided to search the area, where they found seven caged racing pigeons in the bushes and with their respective identification rings.
The agents found out that four owners had already filed a complaint. The animals, valued at thousands of euro, were transferred to the Elche Local Police Headquarters to be transferred to the person in charge of the La Ilicitana Colombiculture Federation in order to be returned to their rightful owners.
Two of the runaway minors were later identified and handed over to their parents and informed of what had happened. The investigation is ongoing.
(The pictured pigeon was not one of those discovered and is a model who agrred to pose for the photograph in order to indicate what a pigeon looks like)
