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A 78-year-old man, the caretaker of the El Tranque café, was found dead in the early hours of Saturday, May 16, in the municipality of Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus province, in what authorities quickly labeled as a crime committed during a robbery at the establishment.
According to information from Radio Sancti Spíritus, the victim had been violently struck on the head, bound at the feet, hands, and neck with a blanket and adhesive tape, and ultimately deprived of life through combined maneuvers that caused mechanical asphyxiation, as specified by Lieutenant Colonel Rolando Rodríguez Carmenate, head of the Provincial Criminal Investigation Body in that province.
Multidisciplinary teams from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) processed the scene and gathered evidence.
The initial investigations revealed how the access to the premises occurred: "The alleged perpetrators entered through a side window after removing several slats from the shutter and took several items," said Rodríguez Carmenate.
Among the items stolen were around 20 bottles of high-end rum, various types of cigars, tobacco, two music systems, cash from the register, several sweets, and a model 20 bicycle belonging to the victim.
The motive for the crime was, according to the investigation, the desire for profit.
A few hours after the discovery, the two music systems were recovered and identified by the owner of the establishment as the same ones that had been stolen from the point of sale.
Subsequent registration in a residence in the municipal seat allowed for the seizure of other assets related to the case.
Four citizens remain detained for their alleged involvement in the crime.
"Two of them are serving a sentence in the Las Mulas prison in Jatibonico and were enjoying a home visit; one is a resident of Havana and was invited by the other to spend those days in Yaguajay. According to the investigation, one of the involved parties confessed and implicated the others," added the MININT official.
The accused transferred some of the goods to the city of Sancti Spíritus, where they were hidden in the home of a friend, who was also arrested.
The fact that two of the detainees had a temporary pass from the Las Mulas prison raises questions about the Cuban prison system and exit permits, while the involvement of a Havana resident suggests a planned operation with interprovincial movement.
This crime is not an isolated incident. In recent months, several custodians have been murdered in Cuba during robberies at establishments under their watch, particularly in Santiago de Cuba. In August 2025, six men were arrested for the murder of a custodian at an agricultural cooperative in Baire, Contramaestre. In September 2025, the MININT of Sancti Spíritus confirmed two murders that occurred in the province, both involving knives.
The Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit documented 1,319 crimes between January and June 2025, averaging 7.3 criminal acts daily and 63 crimes in that semester, reflecting the ongoing deterioration of public safety on the island.
"All have criminal records and social misconduct and are facing criminal proceedings for the crime of murder. The Prosecutor's Office is currently evaluating the request for a precautionary measure of provisional imprisonment," concluded Lieutenant Colonel Rodríguez Carmenate.
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