A 16-year-old boy was beaten by an angry crowd for allegedly robbing a woman in Moloto Village, Mpumalanga police said on Sunday.
“The woman was walking home after alighting from a bus around 8pm (Friday), when the boy grabbed her arms from behind,” said KwaMhlanga police spokeswoman Sergeant Nonhlanhla Kgosana.
“After the boy snatched her bag and ran away, the 42-year-old woman screamed for help to alert the residents to her plight,” Kgosana said.
A group of residents responded by chasing the suspect.
He was cornered about 500 meters away and beaten.
The police arrived and saved him from further beating. He did not sustain any visible injuries.
“The crowd also found a bag of the victim in the possession of the teenager, which contained a cellphone and several other valuables,” Kgosana said.
The youth was taken into police custody as his parents refused to take him into their custody as required by the law.
“The parents cited his many crimes as the main reason, saying they were also sick and tired of him,” she said.
The 16-year-old is expected to appear in the KwaMhlanga Magistrate's Court on Monday on a charge of robbery. - Sapa