Three employees of the Paraguayan Communications Company (Copaco) were detained on the night of Wednesday, September 16, in Mariano Roque Alonso, Paraguay, on suspicion of removing about 300 meters of the company’s underground cable without authorization.
The intervention took place at about 9:20 p.m. at Copaco’s property between Boquerón and Nanawa streets. The report reached the National Police after legal adviser Johanna Mongelós received photographs and videos that allegedly showed employees removing the material in the area of Mariscal Estigarribia and Fernando Galeano streets.
GPS tracking of a company vehicle indicated that the car was at the reported location. After the person responsible for the area was instructed to return to the site, officers found the three men and a roll of 800-pair underground multiconductor cable with copper filaments. The material was recovered.
The detainees were identified as Alcides Martínez Colmán, 53; Vicente Omar Benega Jiménez, 38; and Diego Rafael Núñez Bogarín, 43. Police said none of them had a criminal record. A 2018 Mazda BT-50 pickup registered in Martínez Colmán’s name was also seized.
The head of Network and Customer Operations reportedly confirmed that there was no work order for the removal. In an interview with Radio 1000, Mongelós also said there were no customer complaints, records of service interruptions or reports of theft that would justify the operation. The employees reportedly initially claimed that they were acting because of recurring thefts in the area.
The legal adviser estimated the value of the material at between G. 30 million and G. 35 million, but cautioned that the potential loss could be greater because the cables are part of the infrastructure used to serve several customers. Copaco’s Technical and Commercial departments are assessing the damage and the potential impact on service restoration. Part of the material, estimated at 25 to 30 meters, was reportedly left at the Mariano Roque Alonso central facility, where it was sealed and placed in custody.
Commissioner Pedro Espínola of the 10th Central Police Station in Mariano Roque Alonso said the three chose not to give statements to police. They were placed at the disposal of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and prosecutor Ítalo Rienzi of Criminal Unit No. 2 of the Mariano Roque Alonso Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the suspects to remain at the police facility.
The investigation is expected to establish who ordered the removal, what the cables’ intended destination was and whether there was an attempt to misappropriate company property. The detentions are provisional, and the suspects’ criminal responsibility has not yet been established.