A security camera captured the moment when a motorcyclist snatched a chain in broad daylight on the streets of Havana, an incident reported on social media by the user on Facebook, Catherine Acosta Martínez.
According to the victim's account, the assault occurred around five in the afternoon on Thursday when the individual intercepted her on the street, grabbed her by the neck, and threatened her with a knife to take a gold chain she was wearing. After the attack, the assailant fled on a blue motorcycle toward Juan Delgado Avenue.
In the post, Acosta Martínez stated that upon reviewing the area’s cameras, they discovered that the suspect had been lurking in the vicinity for some time, apparently waiting for a victim to carry out the theft.
As part of the report, the victim shared several frames showing the individual on the motorcycle, presumably before and after committing the robbery. In the comments to her post, the user Leslie Morales Cera claimed that the same suspect had acted against her.
"On Tuesday, September 2, at 4 PM, he snatched two chains from me at 54 and 31. I reported him and took the images to the Playa station at 110 and 3rd," the internet user stated, sharing a video that captured the reported incident.
Acosta Martínez requested citizens' cooperation to identify the responsible party and offered an incentive of 20,000 Cuban pesos to anyone who provides information about their whereabouts. Additionally, he shared contact numbers to receive any information that could assist in the investigation: 53 247783, 58 276088, and 58 241535.
The incident has generated outrage among social media users, who are raising awareness about the increase in this type of crime in the capital and demanding a greater police presence on the streets.
So far, there has been no report on whether the authorities have initiated an official investigation into the case, although the released images could be crucial in locating the assailant.
A wave of outbursts in Cuba
The case reported in Havana is not an isolated incident. In recent years, the number of violent robberies on the streets of the island has increased, particularly thefts of chains and phones, which often take place in broad daylight and in crowded areas.
In Santiago de Cuba, neighbors from the Escario neighborhood recently captured a repeat offender known for snatching phones on Garzón Avenue. Identified as Alexander, the man was handed over to the police, although the community reports that on previous occasions he has been quickly released, fueling the perception of complicity and impunity.
Days earlier, a medical student was assaulted at the Calle 4 terminal by an armed individual, with none of the bystanders intervening to help her. Similar incidents have occurred in Holguín, where residents .
In Havana, several incidents have also been recorded: from a man who snatched a chain from a girl in Plaza de la Revolución and who, according to witnesses, swallowed it to hide the evidence, to unsuccessful robbery attempts on public transport and in peripheral neighborhoods, where residents took action on their own before the police arrived.
These episodes reflect a common pattern: the growing audacity of criminals in the face of the authorities' passivity. In most cases, the capture of the assailants does not occur due to the actions of the Revolutionary National Police, but rather through the direct intervention of the community, which resorts to popular justice in response to the lack of effective answers from the State.
The repetition of these events in different provinces highlights the deterioration of citizen security in Cuba and the growing distrust towards the institutions responsible for maintaining order.
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