The theft of a fan while its owner was sleeping, following the entry of three young men into a home in Cárdenas, has sparked outrage on social media and renewed citizens' complaints about insecurity in Cuba.
According to the complaint by content creator Christian Arboláez on Facebook this Saturday, the events took place in a house located at Laborde number 561, between Calzada and Coronel Verdugo streets, in the city of Matanzas.
The intruders took several items from a nail table and a multifunctional black portable fan, featuring LED lights and a carrying handle.
The woman realized what had happened when she stopped feeling the air from the device while she was sleeping. Upon waking and noticing the presence of the intruders, they ran away.
Neither the lady nor her elderly mother suffered physical harm. However, the incident left the family with the fear that unknown individuals could enter their home while they slept.
"Imagine waking up to find that strangers had been walking beside you while you slept. What would have happened if you had woken up earlier? How can that lady calmly close her eyes again? Because not only did they steal a fan from her, but they could also have taken away her peace of mind in feeling safe within her own home," wrote Arboláez.
The family also reported that the same individuals attempted to enter another house located on the corner. Additionally, they requested assistance in locating the fan, which, according to the post, might be for sale without a remote or charger.
The report sparked numerous reactions from users who expressed indignation and concern about the frequency of these events. "Our sad reality, and these incidents continue to be so common and everyday," commented one person.
Others blamed the legal framework and called for harsher penalties for criminals. "If the government doesn’t change the laws for those thieves, pretty soon no one will be able to go out on the street; criminals have taken over the country," wrote another user.
A third person summarized their stance with a critique of the current penalties: "As long as the penalties remain lenient, they will continue to steal and cause harm."
Among the comments, there were also questions about the official statistics on crime in Matanzas. "I don't know where the figures for murders and robberies in Matanzas came from... What happened is that the fool couldn’t put in the zeros... the distortion of statistics is really good for that," remarked another internet user.
"We can no longer even feel safe sleeping in our own homes!" summarized Arboláez.
The case brings back to the forefront the concerns expressed by citizens on social media regarding break-ins in homes, even when the occupants are present and asleep.
In August, thieves broke into another house in the municipality while the family was sleeping with their children and stole an EcoFlow battery, a scooter, and a PlayStation, among other items; the police took over seven hours to respond after the report was made.
In July, residents of the Fructuoso Rodríguez neighborhood had to capture and tie up a suspected thief themselves because the authorities were not arriving.
And in August, the private business Mercado Real was looted for the second time in less than a year, and the agents informed the owners that the responsibility for protecting the premises was theirs.
The decline in security in Cárdenas reflects a trend that encompasses the entire province. According to data from the Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit, Matanzas topped the national crime ranking in the first half of 2026 with 18 homicides, 21 assaults, and 155 reported thefts, the highest figures in the country for these categories.
At the national level, the same agency reported 2,833 verified offenses in 2025, a 115% increase compared to the previous year, with thefts being the most common crime at 1,536 cases.
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