The residents of Calahonda have been puzzled since the 12th, wondering where their beloved bronze statue of a fisherman casting his net, the centerpiece of the newly refurbished seafront, has gone.
A few days after the statue went missing, a retired fisherman provided the police with a crucial lead. He reported that at 4 a.m. on the day of the incident, he was awakened and saw through his bedroom window the town drunk engaging in a heated, one-sided argument with the statue. The drunk then rocked the statue violently until he uprooted it and disappeared with it into the night.
When the police visited the suspect’s home, they found the statue, which was slightly battered from the rough treatment.
The man explained that the statue had asked him to take it home, and he complied after they reached an agreement.
Town hall officials estimate that repairing the statue and re-installing it on a more secure plinth will cost between 8,000 and 9,000 Euros.