The tough talk was quick to fade as was the samurai sword to clatter to the ground when a pair of would-be thieves faced off with a Phnom Penh mob on Sunday.

Police said the duo had happened upon a woman returning from a wedding when they threatened her with the sword, demanding her jewellery.

But a group of proactive neighbours witnessed the scene unfold and determined some extrajudicial justice was in order.

The two suspects were beaten badly enough before police arrived that one required hospitalisation. KOH SANTEPHEAP