A theft of approximately 400 meters of solar power cables resulted in losses of around R$ 30 thousand in Imbituba (SC). The case was registered in the early hours of last Wednesday (29), in a condominium located in the municipality.
According to the Military Police, the incident was discovered by the person in charge of a construction project at the site, who noticed the crime upon arriving for work. At the condominium, officers confirmed that the stolen cables belonged to a photovoltaic power plant, compromising the system's operation.
According to reports, the criminals accessed the area via a quiet, unlit side street. To break into the property, they cut through the condominium's security fence, suggesting possible pre-planning of the operation.
It is suspected that the theft occurred during the early morning hours. To remove the cables, the perpetrators used a ladder from a house under construction within the condominium itself, as well as specific tools to cut the wiring connected to the transformer. The stolen cables are 95 mm and 50 mm in diameter.
Volume of stolen cables triples
According to data from ABRADE (Brazilian Association of Electric Energy Distributors), ovThe volume of stolen cables in Brazil reached 975 tons in 2025.This is practically triple the 300 tons recorded in 2024, highlighting the escalation of this type of crime in the country.
In addition to the significant increase in volume, financial losses also grew significantly, rising from R$ 50 million to R$ 90 million in just one year. At the end of July last year, the Federal Government passed a law to toughen penalties for the crime, with sentences ranging from 2 to 8 years in prison, in addition to fines.
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