A MAN was recently apprehended and beaten to a bloody pulp by members of the public for shoplifting basic necessities in Sabah.
A viral video clip showed men beating up a man near a hypermarket at Jalan Bugaya in Semporna, Sabah.
The clip uploaded on Twitter by @pacik_kentang depicted what is believed to be several hypermarket staff and some public members seen kicking, slapping and punching the thief until he was pinned to the ground.
According to a statement by Semporna district police chief Supt Mohd Farhan Lee Abdullah, the thief was identified as a 40-year-old man who tried to flee after being suspected of committing the theft driving a black Proton Saga car.
“The suspect was driving recklessly to avoid being caught and hit two vehicles that caused considerable damage from the crash,” Mohd Farhan said in a statement.
Mohd Farhan added that the suspect stole two bottles of shampoo and one hand lotion worth RM 126.
Police also found that the middle-aged man has 11 past criminal records, one for obstructing a public servant carrying out their duty, another for theft and nine for drug offences.
Netizens mainly condemned the violence in the video, saying that it was unnecessary.
“Actually, they did not want to just punish the man but also to release their stress when ‘licensed’ to beat up someone. No sane man would consider this a fair punishment,” a netizen said.
“Malaysians really have no sense here... Fighting for little to no reason while we have past politicians who have stolen billions, which you still praise and bow down to them, but the average citizen who stole essentials to live, however gets beaten to a bloody pulp,” another netizen added.
