A thief who was trying to rob a pensioner with a knife was caught red-handed, stripped naked, then wrapped in cling film and tied to a lamppost, Santiagi, Chile.

Warning: contains nudity!

A 32-year-old Valentino Abeyta Barrera, an alleged thief, was caught on the scene of the crime and was immediately punished. Law abiding citizens wrapped him from top to toe in cling film and tied to a lamppost.

Some of them were taking photos of an abashed culprit while waiting for police. Twenty minutes later police officers arrived to free him and take to the nearest police station. The young man refused to explain why he was in the middle of the street with his underpants around his ankles.

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Soon the photographs quickly circulated around social media sparking discussion about vigilante justice and its legitimacy. The pensioner did not make a complaint to police and Barrera was freed. One commenter, Daniela Montoya Pazo said, "They just had to arrest him, not beat him. This kind of things put us at the same level as the criminals."

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