The unusual theft of underground cables that left 420 people from Mar del Plata without Internet

Guillermo Villarreal

07/10/2020 - 18:54

• Clarín.com
• Society

With a pick and shovel, they spent at least two days digging trenches in search of the valuable loot: the copper they extract from the underground wiring. The unusual scene took place in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Mar del Plata and left more than 400 people without internet service.

The wiring belonged to Telefónica de Argentina, which intervened the Federal Justice. "At a time when connectivity is essential for all Argentines, 420 of the company's customers are without landline and internet as a result of the crime," the company said in a statement.

The curious thing is the number of people involved in the theft of cables: it is calculated that at least a hundred people participated who, as gangs of workers,  opened the trenches in broad daylight, although it was not easy to detect them because most of them the robbery was carried out in an open area, in the vicinity of Argentina and Catriel Antarctica.

In response to the complaint filed by the lawyers of Telefónica de Argentina, the attorney general Daniel Adler ordered measures to find the authors of the cable theft. There were six arrests ; The investigation continues to find those who could be in charge of a possible organization.

Personnel from the Argentine Federal Police, under the directives of the Inspector Commissioner Fabián Caponnetto, arrived in the area and approached a column of black smoke, where they had already started burning the cables to obtain the copper . They also kidnapped picks and shovels.

On Tuesday, Telefónica staff had gone to the neighborhood before an alert for a cut in the wiring in the Mario Bravo area between Rufino and Pehuajó, they found more than 50 people grouped together as crews, opening trenches approximately one and a half meters deep . According to the company's complaint, the amount of telephone cable lost and removed exceeds 4,500 meters.

Federal Court No. 3 in charge of Santiago Inchausti made requests for the arrest of the seven people, the inquiries will be made digitally.

In principle, the accusations are for violation of article 164 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes theft; infringement of article 197 due to communication obstruction ; possible violation of article 210 for alleged illicit association; in addition to the violation of ASPO, which is contemplated in article 205 of the Code.

"Thanks to the actions of the Federal Prosecutor's Office No. 2 and the security forces, 6 people suspected of participating in the act were arrested," the company revealed in a statement, adding that "the theft of cables fully attacks connectivity of customers across the country and projects losses for the company of more than 1,000 million pesos . " 

From the Federal Prosecutor's Office reported that the theft of cables caused damage estimated at more than 6 million pesos for the cost of repair work.

Mar del Plata. Correspondent

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