A Russian national was detained for attempting to steal a phone from Galaksi Cellular, a store located on Teuku Umar Street in West Denpasar, Bali. The seller was busy talking to other customers when the would-be thief approached him and asked to see an iPhone 14 Pro Max worth 29 million Indonesian rupiah.
At one point, the seller became distracted, and the thief quietly left the store, sprinting down the street with the phone. The seller chased after him, caught up, and attempted to detain him. A serious struggle ensued, but several helpful locals came to the seller’s aid. Together, they managed to subdue the unlucky thief.
Police arrived shortly afterward and took the 22-year-old Russian citizen, identified as V., into custody. A brand-new purple iPhone was seized as evidence. An investigation is now underway, and the suspect has been charged under Article 362 of Indonesia’s Criminal Code, which carries a penalty of up to 5 years in prison and a fine. However, in such cases involving foreigners, authorities often opt for deportation and blacklisting instead.
The police have not yet disclosed further details, but one thing is clear: V. was quite fortunate. Indonesians have little tolerance for thieves and often resort to mob justice, using various hard objects to drive home the message that stealing is unacceptable.
Sources: indobalinews, polresdenpasar
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