In Indonesia, there is nothing funny about being falsely accused of theft in public.
That is what transpired recently on board a KRL Commuterline train, as told by a viral social media post. Thankfully, this incident did not end in unnecessary bloodshed.
One Instagram story post, which has been reposted by aggregator accounts, told the story of how a group of young men shouted, “You’re a thief! What did you steal?” towards another passenger as they were exiting the train.
The accused, a man wearing a dark blue top, was traveling alone. The poster said other passengers were beginning to get worked up when the youths shouted, “Prank!” and laughed.
Though he was safe from harm, the poster said the man still moved to another carriage.
People in Indonesia have lost their lives to angry mobs who are largely unconcerned about proving the guilt of accused criminals.
In one extreme recent case, an 89-year-old man in Jakarta was chased by dozens of youths after he was accused of stealing a car last year. When the youths caught up to the octogenarian, they savagely beat him to death.
The car that the victim was driving was, in fact, his.
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