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This is the appalling moment a suspected thief is burned alive by vigilantes.

The group suspected their terrified victim of trying to steal a bus and took the law into their own hands.

He can be seen sprawling on the ground as flames lick around his body and head.

The horrifying incident took place in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, reports La Prensa .

The angry mob hit the man repeatedly before somebody set him on fire.

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Images show his upper body covered in flames as he sits in the middle of the road.

Incredibly the man does not move or seem to try and damp the flames, but rather sits there moaning despondently.

(Image: CEN)

After a couple of minutes he lies back down on the road again and waits as finally the fire goes out.

Nobody tries to put the flames out or help him at any point.

Public lynchings and attempted executions are on the increase in Venezuela, a country with one of the highest murder rates in the world.

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According to a United Nations report: "Justice at the hands of the people is happening in response to the rampant delinquency which has been affecting Venezuela in the past few years."

According to the Venezuelan Police Chief, Elisio Guzman, only one in ten criminals caught by police end up in jail.

He said: "As long as the state does not continue to respond, the public lynchings will increase. The police can arrest them, but then they go to the tribunal and are set free."

The UN 's Global Homicide Book says the country had 53.7 killings per 100,000 inhabitants in 2012.