The tables were turned on a chicken vendor in Phnom Penh’s Prek Pnov district when police arrested him on Wednesday for allegedly chaining up and beating a 15-year-old boy who tried to steal two birds.

District deputy police chief Eng Sitha said that Sok Samao, 30, was arrested following a complaint by the boy’s grandmother, who saw photos of the chaining circulating on Facebook.

Sitha said the vendor “beat the boy many times on his body and then chained up the boy”.

Apparently the boy was not seriously injured and was reportedly caught for stealing on Tuesday evening, Sitha continued, adding that “the chicken’s owner sent the boy to the commune police station and the police officials educated him and let him go home”.

Authorities questioned Samao and sent him to court yesterday evening.