A cell phone thief who wielded scissors to intimidate and rob his victims was apprehended by police in the 10 de Octubre district of Havana last week. One of the robberies took place on the afternoon of October 3rd, when the criminal snatched two mobile phones from their owners after threatening them with scissors, according to a Facebook post by “El Cubano Fiel,” a pro-government profile linked to the Ministry of the Interior.
The post detailed that individuals playing at the sports area located on Porvenir between Santa Catalina and Milagros Este, in the Acosta neighborhood of the 10 de Octubre municipality, "witnessed a robbery committed with scissors by a thief who stole the mobile phones from two young people passing by."
According to “El Cubano Fiel,” the robbery occurred around 2 p.m., and the criminal fled on foot but was intercepted by a police patrol, which captured him and recovered the stolen phones. The police identified the victims and took the thief to the Aguilera police station, as per the official account of the events.
Escalating Crime Wave in Cuba
Cell phone theft, whether on the streets, public transport, or even inside homes, has become a common crime amidst the rising wave of criminal activity plaguing Cuba in recent years. Social media reports highlight numerous incidents of this nature across various cities in the country and describe how citizens have taken matters into their own hands to catch the thieves, who are then handed over to the authorities.
Elderly individuals often fall prey to robberies and other crimes. In the Alamar neighborhood of Habana del Este, a thief pushed a 72-year-old man to the ground and stole his phone, while another in the La Cuevita area of San Miguel del Padrón snatched a mobile phone from an elderly woman's purse and fled. Both perpetrators were eventually caught and detained by police officers.
Justice Served
In a related incident, a man was sentenced to 10 years in prison last June after attempting to steal a phone from its owner on a bus traveling along Avenida Boyeros and Calzada del Cerro. When caught, the pickpocket brandished a knife and tried to escape, but was thwarted when the driver halted the vehicle and kept the doors shut.