Editor’s Note
- 2 Youths Caught in Crowd Allegedly Stealing 3kg Gas Cylinder
- Residents Angry Over Repeated Thefts in a Week
- Perpetrators Arrested by Community Police and Village Officials to Prevent Angry Crowd
2 Youths Caught in Crowd Allegedly Stealing 3kg Gas Cylinder
Dozens of residents gathered around the house of the village headman of Mesjid Satu, Sekip Village, Lubuk Pakam District, Deli Serdang Regency, on Friday evening (February 13, 2026) after hearing that a thief had been caught and was being held in the village headman’s house.
The two youths were suspected of attempting to steal a 3-kilogram LPG cylinder from a shop owned by Dewi, a resident of Mesjid Satu Village, Sekip. The perpetrators were caught red-handed and verbally abused by the shop owner as thieves. Local residents then apprehended them and took them to the village chief’s house to prevent them from becoming targets of an angry mob.
Local residents furious over repeated thefts in a single week
At the village chief’s house, the perpetrators were questioned by several local residents and the village chief himself. Both claimed to live in Lubuk Pakam Triangle Field, while the third lived in Beringin district.
The growing number of local residents was furious with the two young men suspected of theft. This stemmed from the fact that seven thefts of motorcycles and other items had occurred around Jalan Mesjid Satu in recent months, and the two arrested young men had almost become targets of an angry mob.
Perpetrators apprehended by Babinkamtibmas and village officials to prevent mob anger
To prevent further resident anger, the village chief called on the Babinkamtibmas to take the two men to the police station for their safety.
“Yes, I was forced to ask the Babinkamtibmas to arrest the two young men suspected of stealing a gas cylinder from Mrs. Dewi’s shop on Jalan Mesjid Satu, because the crowd was already very angry,” said Ismanto, the village head of Mesjid Satu.
After further investigation, the police decided not to pursue the case further because the victim had not filed a report, and the two young men were thankfully released. However, they did become the target of ridicule from angry residents.***
