Operation investigates theft and reception of water meters in João Pessoa

The action takes place three weeks after the Paraíba Water and Sewage Company (Cagepa) recorded a record number of water meter thefts in Greater João Pessoa. In June, the company recorded 268 stolen pieces of equipment, the highest monthly number since the beginning of the historical series, which began in 2024. According to Cagepa, thefts grew 318% compared to May, when 64 cases were recorded. In 2026, the number of stolen water meters was as follows: January: 84 February: 78 March: 57 April: 80 May: 64 June: 268 According to the director of Cagepa, Isaías Veríssimo, thefts stopped affecting only smaller properties and started to also occur in condominiums and large projects, causing impacts on the supply of entire regions. The company reported that the crimes are related to the copper present in the water meters. The material is removed from equipment stolen from homes, condominiums and commercial establishments to be sold. The operation investigating the theft and reception of water meters in João Pessoa is still ongoing. Until the last update of this report, the Civil Police had not disclosed the number of warrants executed nor provided details about the result of the action. Most watched videos from g1 Paraíba