A MAN on the run from French justice over a murder has been arrested in Alicante.

The Policia Nacional said the fugitive was planning to escape to his native Algeria.

He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted of a killing in Saint-Etienne on February 9.

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The male victim had injuries to his skull and the autopsy showed evidence of strangulation.

The suspect fled to Spain and French authorities issued a European Arrest Warrant in his name in early March.

Investigations revealed that he was using Spain as a ‘stopping point’ before heading to Algeria.

He stayed for a time in the Ciudad Real area thanks to a friend, but repeatedly changed addresses and provinces to avoid being caught.

He was subsequently identified and arrested in Alicante City.

The man has been handed over to the custody of the National Court which handles extradition requests.

AN Alicante lottery ticket seller scammed a customer out of a €40,000 prize by keeping the winning ticket for herself.

The Policia Nacional have arrested the 42-year-old seller as well as her ex-boyfriend, 37, who failed to get the money at a lottery office.

The coupon holder bought the ticket from a lottery stand and was told the next day that it had only won a €6 prize.

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The seller gave her the paltry sum after claiming a terminal that verified winning numbers was not working properly.

She then checked on the consolation prize via her mobile phone.

The winner suspected nothing and handed over her ticket, but realised days later that she had been duped.

She returned to the stand where the woman told her that she had no knowledge over her €40,000 prize and that the ticket had been thrown away.

The angry client did not let the matter rest and went to a National Lottery office who advised her to make a complaint to the police.

The Policia Nacional discovered the seller had accessed her terminal three times to confirm the big prize and had lied to the customer.

The next phase of the deception backfired a few days later after her ex-boyfriend tried to collect the winnings.

Unfortunately for him and his former partner, the National Lottery was aware of what had happened after police asked them to block the payout.

The seller and the man have both been charged with fraud.

It’s not been revealed whether the genuine ticket holder has been awarded her €40,000 prize.

A TOILET lid and a fire extinguisher were some of the more unusual items left behind on TRAM d’Alacant services last year.

Other lost goods included bicycles, scooters, suitcases, crutches, canes, motorcycle helmets, ice coolers, a hair dryer, and even a builder’s construction shovel.

2,494 items were found in 2024- an average of seven per day- with the busiest month being October(442).

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Goods are stored by local tram stations for a month and then an extra four weeks at the lost property warehouse based at Luceros station.

If after that stage, nobody makes a claim, items go to the Alicante Policia Local or for recycling if they are in an obvious poor state.

Official documents like identity and health cards, driving licenses, and passports are passed over to the police immediately, so that they can be returned.

Bank and credit cards are destroyed immediately for security reasons.

Over 37% of lost goods were reclaimed in 2024- helped by customer service staff who do some detective work in tracking down owners.

Wallets and purses, keys, backpacks, documents, phones, glasses, folders, umbrellas and bags accounted for the bulk of items left behind on trams.