Enraged Bangli locals trash motorbike of village egg thief

After being caught in the act of looting a chicken coop in the village of Sulahan, Bangli, on Tuesday night, a serial egg thief made a narrow escape by bolting it through the rice fields on foot. Unfortunately for him, in his haste, he left his motorbike at the crime scene, where it later became the object of vengeance for a mob of riled locals.

According to a report by Nusa Bali, the perpetrator, identified as Moh Fadil, 23, was a repeat offender and Tuesday night’s incident was the fifth egg theft in the area. On this occasion, Fadil reportedly stole 21 trays of eggs from the warehouse of I Dewa Made Ariawan. But he eventually ran afoul of  Ariawan himself, who caught the egg-thief red-handed. Fadil was forced to flee on foot, sprinting through the nearby rice fields.

On hearing the news of the theft, neighbors and other local residents gathered at the crime scene. Furious and out for revenge, the group finally decided to trash the perpetrator’s motorbike.

Police managed to intercept Fadil, who had fallen over and somehow injured himself, in the nearby village of Selat.

“Our officers went along the river in search of the perpetrator. From the crime scene until the location of the arrest is three kilometers,” said Susut’s police chief as quoted by Nusa Bali.

Police investigators say that Fadil has been involved in a spate of egg thefts in the area, with authorities estimating his ill-gotten goods to be worth IDR9.8 million (US$687).

Fadil reportedly sold the chicken eggs in Denpasar and used the money to pay for everyday goods like food and cigarettes.

“I sold the eggs in Denpasar; I offered them to stalls. I would ask the [stall] owner what price he usually bought eggs for. If the market price was IDR23,000 (US$1.61), I’d offer a cheaper price of IDR21,000 (US$1.47) per tray,” Fadil said as quoted by Nusa Bali.

Fadil had reportedly been familiar with the Susut agricultural region because he had previously worked in one of the animal feed supply stores there.

As a result of his actions, the Denpasar resident faces charges that carry a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison.