Three residents of Pilas have been arrested in connection with the theft of phone line cable from Montánchez, with a value estimated at 22,700 euros, the Guardia Civil said. The investigation began in May, when a patrol intercepted a car on the A-66 near Villafranca de los Barros. The three occupants, all with previous convictions for copper theft, were identified and the vehicle was searched. Inside, officers found a large amount of telecom cable that they could not prove had been obtained legitimately. Under the seats, they also found tools allegedly intended to cut the conductor material, and climbing footwear known as “pies de gato” for scaling vertical structures like power and telecom posts. Police analysis of the seized material, combined with searches by other Guardia Civil units in Cáceres province, pointed to the cable having been recently stolen. The cable was linked to disused phone line sections in Montánchez, a claim later confirmed by the company that reported the loss and put its value at about 22,700 euros. In July and again in early October, with the help of Guardia Civil officers from Sevilla, the suspects were located and detained at their home municipality. The proceedings have been sent to the Civil and Instruction section of the Tribunal de Instancia de Cáceres.