Residents of 27th Street between N and O, in El Vedado, detained a man on Wednesday afternoon who allegedly snatched a cell phone from a neighbor as he was about to enter his home, according to a Facebook post by Pedro Lizardo Garcés Escalona, president of the Rampa Popular Council in the Plaza de la Revolución municipality.
The official shared images of the detainee sitting on the pavement, surrounded by neighbors, and reported that the individual was taken to the unit of the Policía Nacional Revolucionaria (PNR) located at Zapata and C, in Vedado itself.
"This afternoon, residents of 27th Street between N and O apprehended the individual I am showing in the images after he snatched a cellphone from a neighbor on that block who was about to enter his home," Garcés Escalona wrote on his profile.
The detained individual appears in the photographs as an adult man with a shaved head and a slim build, featuring tattoos on his arms, a nose piercing, and a white printed t-shirt.
Garcés Escalona also called on potential previous victims of the same individual to come forward to that police unit: "Anyone who has been a victim of his criminal actions can go to the aforementioned unit."
The official concluded his statement with a slogan directed at the residents of the area: "In the Rampa Popular Council, take your hand off the rooster that itches you!"
This is not the first time Garcés Escalona has turned to social media to share this type of content.
In June, neighbors in Vedado detained another man who attacked a young woman to steal her electric motorcycle at the intersection of J and 21, also within the Rampa People's Council, and the official followed the same procedure: posting images of the detainee and directing the victims to the unit at Zapata and C.
This pattern of neighborhood captures has intensified throughout 2026 in a context of increasing insecurity in Havana.
In May, neighbors caught an alleged cellphone thief in El Vedado who was on a prison pass at the time. In June, more than 30 burglaries in homes were reported in just one week in the area between Zapata and 23, and between Paseo and 12.
At the beginning of August, the regime showcased on social media alleged thieves arrested in Havana with the slogan "The streets belong to the people," a practice that human rights organizations have criticized for undermining basic due process rights by publicly exposing individuals before any judicial proceedings.
The situation of insecurity in Cuba is backed by figures: the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory recorded 2,833 verified crimes in 2025, an increase of 115% compared to 2024, of which 1,536 were thefts.
The Ministry of the Interior itself acknowledged in February 2026 a 25% increase in property crimes, which it attributed to the "complex economic situation," without taking institutional responsibility for the deterioration of public order.
Related videos:
Filed under: