Mob justice illegal, but no arguing it’s speedy

Ah, vigilante justice. What it lacks in proportionality, it makes up for with its merciless nature. Thus was the lesson imparted to a moto thief Wednesday in the capital’s Chamkarmon district. Police said an eyewitness cried for help when he saw the suspect swipe an unattended moto from a pagoda. A group of villagers and motodops quickly assembled to stop him . . . then slap and kick him into unconsciousness. The bike has since been returned, and the suspect will be allowed to recover before police question him. Deum Ampil  

Man hides from police inside of a crappy pipe

From the karaoke parlour to a sewage pipe, one young criminal experienced a dramatic turn in fortunes this week. Police said the 22-year-old turned a supposed test drive into a theft on Sunday, driving off with a moto and pawning it for $400. He spent a lot of the money on karaoke and booze, and to paraphrase George Best, he squandered the rest. Police cornered him at a guesthouse on Tuesday. In a vain attempt to evade capture, he crawled into the muck of a nearby pipe, where police found him squatting an hour later. Kampuchea Thmey

He ran, he hid, but cops nabbed cleaver suspect

The law finally caught up with a suspect in a months-old case in Battambang town on Wednesday. Police said the 27-year-old in question had hacked a man with a cleaver after an argument in October in Kampong Cham. He subsequently jumped on his moto and fled to Battambang, where he lived in anonymity until police showed up with a warrant this week. He has since confessed and has been sent to court. Nokorwat

Shopper robbed of her motorbike and money

A trip to market to load up for today’s Visak Bochea celebrations ended on a sour note yesterday for a woman in Phnom Penh’s Chamkarmon district. Police said she was driving home with a moto laden with holiday treats when three men followed her, pulled her over at gunpoint and made off with her vehicle. Unfortunately, the trio escaped, but police are now looking for the suspects. Koh Santepheap

Dangerous driver hits car, moto, speeds off

A father and daughter were seriously injured Wednesday in a double hit-and-run incident in Poipet. According to military police, a Camry was travelling at high speed when it clipped a car on a narrow street. Rather than stop, the driver sped away from the scene only to hit the father-daughter duo, who were travelling on a moto in the opposite direction. Police gave chase and cornered the car after roughly 500 metres, but the suspect escaped on foot. Kampuchea Thmey

Translated by Phak Seangly