Two men in their twenties have been arrested as part of police investigations into the theft of antique gold items from Zabbar parish church.

The items were stolen from the statue of Our Lady of Graces after thieves climbed scaffolding on the facade of the church and made their way into the church through a belfry.

The theft was noticed by the parish priest during early morning Mass on Sunday. Cash from collection boxes and a laptop used for powerpoint presentations were also stolen.

The gold items, worth thousand of euro, were not insured.

The two men were arrested after an attempt to exchange some old Maltese currency banknotes at the Central Bank raised suspicions. The notes are believed to have come from the collection boxes in the Church.