Beating Up Thieves

Via Mmegi Online, via Fark:

Phikwe Mob Beats Man In Bizarre Incident
SELEBI PHIKWE: In a bizarre incident, an angry crowd baying for the blood of a suspected shop-lifter abandoned its mission for a second session of mob justice on an alleged pick-pocket.

Eyewitnesses said the drama started when a Zimbabwean woman stole a DVD from a Chinese shop and handed it over to a compatriot waiting outside. Shop assistants saw what was going on and raised the alarm. A mob gave chase and got hold of the man who was given the DVD. They walloped him before the shop’s employees came to his rescue. The employee took him inside the shop and called the police. But the crowd refused to go away and demanded to be given the suspect to beat. “We are fed up with these criminals who think they can have their way in our town,” they said.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd screamed: “I have been robbed of my P1200”. He apprehended a young man whom he said is the pick-pocket. The DVD thief was soon forgotten as the mob landed on the alleged pick-pocket whose pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears. The new victim was clutching a thick wad of notes, which he refused to give away even as blows rained on him. Within no time he was barefoot with his shirt torn. The crowd was suddenly taken aback when the accused produce bank receipts to prove where he got the money. He threatened his attackers with legal action. The mob kept a distance, save for the complainant who desperately held onto the accused, said to be an ambulance driver with BCL mine.

They complainant got into Barclays Bank with the suspect to sort the matter out. Meanwhile the mob waited outside vowing to beat the daylights out of whoever would turn out to be the liar. It was however proven by the bank that the suspect had just made a P8000 transaction immediately before the drama. The crowd now bayed for the blood of the complainant but he was saved by the police. Selebi Phikwe Police Station commander, Superintendent Isaiah Makala said they are investigating the incident.

This is relevant to this blog. Perhaps I'll post later explaining how.