The National Police has arrested two people in Orihuela for robberies in Redován and Bigastro cemeteries, understood to be a 46-year-old Portuguese woman and a 35-year-old Spaniard.

The police have been investigating the thefts since the beginning of November when two religious statues were stolen from a family vault in the Orihuela cemetery. The next thefts took place from the cemetery in the hamlet of Los Desamparados when a statue and a family emblem went missing.

Following information received from members of the public the police identified the robbers, a woman and a man, who were both detained in Orihuela last Thursday.

When the arrests were made the agents recovered a total of 13 religious statues of angels, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, among which were the items stolen from Orihuela and Los Desamparados.

The remaining statues are still to be identified although it seems likely that they will comprise many of the items stolen at the beginning of December when nine items were stolen from the Redován and Bigastro cemeteries.