Ubud had a show of street-justice on Monday when a man suspected of stealing a Polygon brand bicycle was reportedly beaten to death.
It happened around 2:30 am, when a group of five men had appeared to be stealing bicycles, witness Nyoman Sukadana told Tribun Bali. Four of them were able to flee the scene and make a getaway, but one was left behind, lying helpless in the street when the angry mob descended upon him, Sudkadana said.
But local Petulu village head Agung Setia Darma denies that the man died because “judgement” had been passed down upon him. Based on the word of local residents, the alleged bike thief fell and hit his head in the gutter, he claims. A likely story.
“The alleged perpetrator did not necessarily die because he was attacked. From the description of the people, he had fallen and hit his head,” Darma told Tribun. Those of course are the same “people” who seemed to have had a hand in the man’s death.
However, Ubud Police Commissioner I Ketut Widiada confirmed to Tribun that the man in question did die from getting beaten. He admitted it was difficult to establish this, since so many local residents claimed no knowledge of the man’s beating and subsequent killing. Surprise, surprise.
The dead man’s identity is a mystery, according to Tribun, so for now he’s been dubbed “Mr. X”.
Obviously stealing is wrong and communities have their own way of dealing with crime, but this crossed a line.
“Ampun,” or please, mercy, were “Mr. X’s” last words, according to Tribun.
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