Cuban Man Arrested for Unusual Theft on National Bus

A Cuban citizen named Argelio Rojas was apprehended after being caught stealing parts from the interior of a national bus traveling the Holguín–Cienfuegos route. The report was made by the Facebook page Cazador-Cazado, which posted images of the detainee, the involved bus, and the stolen items.

According to the post, the man was on the bus and, allegedly out of boredom, began removing seat belts and curtain cords. "As if he were a body shop mechanic," the page noted, adding that the police patrol detained him and he will face theft charges. "What is clear is that a patrol took him away, and now he is caught and will be prosecuted for thefts," Cazador-Cazado wrote.

Dispute Over the Details of the Incident

However, a user identified as Yucek Rodríguez disputed this account in the comments. He stated that the events took place at the Holguín terminal and not during the journey. He explained that the driver noticed a technical fault with the bus, and upon switching vehicles, the theft was discovered. "This happened at the Holguín terminal, and the patrol didn't stop the bus; it was the driver who realized something was wrong because the bus was malfunctioning. When they returned to change the bus, they called the patrol. So that part about the police stopping the bus is incorrect. Tell the truth, don't make up stories or bully about these things. All travelers at the terminal that day knew about this, and there were many," Rodríguez wrote.

Rising Concerns Over Public Transport Safety

This incident adds to a series of recent events affecting Cuban interprovincial transport. In March 2025, a passenger reported the theft of his luggage during a state bus trip from Camagüey to Havana. "At 3:40 am, a theft was detected in the luggage compartment, and that's when our ordeal began when the driver told us he wasn't responsible for the thefts (…) Now I wonder, what safety can there be in interprovincial travel if the basic protection of our belongings, which we work so hard to have for our livelihood, is not guaranteed?" wrote Rafael Moyet.

Just days later, three individuals attempted a robbery on a bus traveling the Havana–Camagüey route. One hid in a suitcase in the vehicle's compartment, while the other two posed as passengers. The driver noticed suspicious behavior and stopped the bus. Before the police arrived, the passengers confronted the would-be thieves and beat them.

In December 2024, a pickpocket was caught in the act inside a Havana urban transit bus. The victim claimed that a cellphone and more than 12,000 pesos were stolen. The driver stopped the vehicle, and the police searched the suspect on the street.

These cases highlight the growing public concern about security in both public and state-run transportation, as well as the lack of effective institutional response to a wave of crimes directly impacting travelers within the country.