A foreign tourist who had her pocket picked in Bali then chose to treat the thief with kindness — even giving her some money to buy petrol — is winning kudos after the undated video of the act went viral, with nearly 30,000 views since it was shared on YouTube last week.
The video opens with people crowding around a young woman—the purported thief—who is stopped on the side of the road next to her motorbike (which has a DK, Bali area plate), her helmet is still even on. Given the starting point of the footage, it’s not clear how exactly the girl made off with the wallet and just how she was apprehended on the side of the road.
The video continues with a local man thumbing through the girl’s wallet, looking for her KTP (identity card) and hands the KTP to a foreigner—purported victim—who takes a picture of it.
Pause for a brief moment while the guy capturing the video on his phone turns the camera on himself for a little selfie action.
When questioned, the wallet snatcher claims she stole from the tourist because she needed money to buy gasoline.
The tourist’s response to this was definitely not how most would react. Instead of hauling the girl off to the police station to file a report or showing any aggression whatsoever, the woman told the girl “not to do this ever again” and let this be a “lesson.”
They hugged it out, embracing. Then the tourist gave the girl back some of the money that had been stolen, saying to use it for gas.
“Okay, done,” the tourist said, urging everyone to break it up and get out of there. The video concludes with the girl speeding off on her motorbike.
Hope that’s a lesson she’ll never forget! We’ve got to wonder though how the outcome may have been different if the thief were male. When thieves are caught in Bali, it’s not uncommon for a mob to form, and deliver their own response of violent, street justice.
Anyway, watch this all-too-rare moment of kindness here:
