Residents of the La Belén neighborhood in Camagüey reported the theft of a telecommunications antenna from ETECSA, in an unusual incident where, additionally, one of the alleged thieves reportedly defecated on the plate where the equipment was installed.
The independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada revealed the case this Monday based on testimonies received from local residents.
The antenna was located above the state store AEB "La Tuya, La Belén," the communicator emphasized.
According to the information shared by Tan Estrada, the theft is believed to have occurred between 12:00 AM and 1:00 AM on Sunday, when several individuals climbed up to the plate, cut the installation cables, and rolled them up with the apparent intention of taking them.
Once there, the individuals would have spotted a nearby house with goods in the yard and, according to the report, decided to break in and steal from that property as well.
The issue was detected on Sunday morning when signal problems were noticed. Subsequently, two ETECSA employees arrived at the location in a company vehicle to verify what had happened.
However, one of the most unusual details of the complaint was the alleged "special little gift" left by one of the intruders: feces on the very plate where the antenna was installed.
According to the account from the neighbors collected by Tan Estrada, even that trace would not have allowed for progress in identifying the responsible party.
According to reports, the Police argued that several hours had passed and that they also did not have a dog to conduct a search.
The situation sparked numerous mockeries and criticisms on social media.
"Robo mojonero," commented one user. "They messed with ETECSA, haha," quipped another, while a third person stated, "They don't take it because they don't want to."
The complaint also highlights a much broader issue. According to what a worker from ETECSA reportedly explained to the neighbors, this would be the seventh affected antenna in a short period, while six other facilities would be experiencing similar problems and there are currently no resources available to repair them.
Residents have also been informed that those antennas have been without backup batteries for years, a deficiency that increases the vulnerability of the service during power outages.
The outcome for the residents of La Belén is a further impact on coverage and connectivity in an area already affected by power outages.
Interestingly, this is not the first time that an alleged thief has left a trace like this after attempting to appropriate equipment related to the Cuban energy crisis.
In July, criminals attempted to steal a solar panel from a house in Guantánamo and also defecated on the panel before fleeing.
The team fell during the attempt and was destroyed. The family then reported that the police did not respond despite having been called.
On the other hand, thefts targeting telecommunications infrastructure have occurred repeatedly in various provinces.
In June, a wave of thefts and damage against ETECSA facilities left several radio bases out of service in Santiago de Cuba.
In just a few days, solar panels, breakers, and power and fiber optic cables were stolen.
Only in Santiago de Cuba, that report detailed attacks against the radio bases of Micro 4, Avenida Los Pinos, and Micro 9, as well as several thefts of solar panels that occurred between May and June, amid the company's difficulties in replacing the stolen equipment.
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