Doors, windows, and chairs were stolen from the Faculty of Medical Sciences "Victoria de Girón", one of the most emblematic institutions of medical education in Cuba, located in Cubanacán, Playa municipality, Havana. Last Monday, the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) organized a public event to return the stolen property from this institution, which is part of the University of Medical Sciences of Havana.
The event was presided over by Colonel Juan Carlos González Mederos, chief of the PNR in the Playa municipality, and the items were received by Dean Adina Pérez and Rector Yoandra Muro on behalf of the institution.
Three officers received public recognition for their involvement in clarifying the case: Captains Delvis Enrique Bequer, Eliécer Castellanos Nieves, and Yoelsis Griñán Maceo.
The event was broadcasted by the Facebook account "Héroes de Azul en Cuba," a channel linked to the PNR and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), with the message: "Successful outcome of the Héroes de Azul: commitment, effectiveness, and honor in service to the people."
The sources did not specify the exact date of the theft, the number of stolen items, their economic value, or whether any individuals were arrested or charged in connection with the incident.
That an institution of such rank has been stripped of basic elements like doors, windows, and chairs illustrates the level of material deterioration that Cuba is experiencing. The theft in state entities—universities, hospitals, energy facilities—has surged in recent years as a direct consequence of the economic crisis caused by 67 years of communist dictatorship.
A report from April 2026 documented 1,536 cases of theft during 2025, representing a 479% increase compared to 2023. In October of this year, similar thefts were reported at the University of Medical Sciences of Villa Clara, where four incidents were clarified and three individuals were arrested, as well as at multiple state entities in Guantánamo, including solar panels, university mattresses, and fuel from a polyclinic.
At the same time, the PNR and the MININT have turned these acts of return into a recurring format of institutional propaganda, disseminated in recent years through social media, state-controlled press, and television. This practice gained particular momentum since 2020, when the regime, with Miguel Díaz-Canel as the main promoter, began to broadcast police operations on television. Although those broadcasts have become less frequent, posts continue from profiles linked to the regime's propaganda apparatus. The pattern repeats across Cuba: uniformed personnel, speeches, and accolades to officers who present routine operations as great police victories.
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