An individual was apprehended by several bystanders and handed over to the police after he stole a mobile phone from an elderly woman in the La Cuevita neighborhood of San Miguel del Padrón, Havana. The suspect, taking advantage of the woman's age, stealthily took the phone from her purse and attempted to flee the scene, according to a report by El Cubano Fiel, a Facebook page linked to Cuba's Ministry of the Interior.
"People involved in the capture of the pickpocket, which occurred in La Cuevita, San Miguel del Padrón, Havana, reported that the thief, with the stealth typical of pickpockets (resembling anesthetists), slipped his hand into the lady's purse and extracted a mobile phone," the publication described.
Once in possession of the phone, the man "took off running," but when his victim realized the theft, she began shouting "catch him, catch him," prompting several locals to pursue and capture him, eventually handing him over to the local police chief. The post includes a photo of the alleged thief, though his name remains undisclosed.
Rising Crime Rates Plague Cuban Cities
Incidents like this occur daily in Havana and other Cuban cities, marking a troubling increase in crime that citizens frequently report on social media. The prevalence of thefts, assaults, murders, and other crimes underscores the atmosphere of violence and insecurity that has gripped the nation recently.
Just over a week ago, two men were apprehended after attempting to steal a cellphone from a young man boarding a P3 route bus in 10 de Octubre, Havana. A few days later, a video surfaced showing a phone thief in Santiago de Cuba being caught by locals as he tried to snatch a phone from a young woman. The furious crowd dragged and beat him before escorting him to the nearest police station.
In late September, residents of a home in the Urbano Noris municipality of Holguín faced a harrowing ordeal when three burglars broke in, threatened them with knives, and tied them up to commit their crimes. The thieves stole "over 19,000 pesos, cell phones, clothing, a gold chain, a television, and even a private ETZ motorcycle."
Back in June, a man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after attempting to steal a phone from its owner on a bus traveling along Boyeros Avenue and Calzada del Cerro. When caught, the pickpocket brandished a knife in a bid to escape but failed, as the driver had stopped the vehicle and kept the doors shut.