Mombasa: Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Stealing Shoes At Mosque Forced To Eat Hot Chillies

• A man suspected of stealing worshippers' shoes was forced to eat several hot peppers in a basin, being beaten whenever he failed to do so
• The man begged the crowd to forgive him, asking to be taken to the police station, but they did not oblige, beating him instead
• Netizens found fault with the punishment, seeking forgiveness for the alleged thief and calling out the perpetrators for actions they termed barbaric

A man in Mombasa found himself in trouble after he was allegedly caught stealing shoes at a mosque.

According to reports, the theft of shoes at mosques in the area has become quite prevalent, with thieves hoping to make a quick back off the stolen goods.

What did worshippers do to the suspected thief?

The unidentified man was cornered by worshippers who claimed they had been losing their shoes at the place of worship.

A video shared on X by @FGaitho237 showed the man surrounded by angry people, all looking to get their pound of flesh.

The young man, who appeared to be in his twenties, had a basin of hot peppers in front of him, with some already stuffed in his mouth.

People in the background could be heard forcing him to eat them.

One had a stick, which he used to beat the man whenever he failed to do as directed.

One man came up from behind the camera, saying he needed a minute with the alleged thief.

He accused him of stealing his shoes before slapping him on the cheek.

The poor man sat there begging the crowd to have mercy on him.

Kenyans react to the unorthodox punishment

The video ignited mixed reactions among netizens, most disapproving of the young man's punishment.

@pindre360:

"The real pain will be when it's coming out the other end!"

@kariguhevans:

"Akulishwe pilipili kama yule mwingine wa Likoni."

@Kangeth27101748:

"This is barbaric and sadistic punishment. Take him to the nearest station."

@KhrushM3586:

"Mngemwambia ata aoshe tiles, pilipili nayo ni kali."

@bashdilmayo:

"They should hand him over to police.Who gave them the power to judge and punish?"

@JacobOkello2010:

"My Scoville scale level is very high. Sasa pilipili ni punishment shually?"

@MunyiriWaithira:

"History shows that schools and places of worship are often cesspits of sad*sm."

@Ceddyville:

"Is this a standard punishment for people who steal shoes from mosques?"

@hussein_pm:

"I lost my nice open shoes hapo Azhar the other day. Give him hot water ateremshe nayo."

@GeorgeKayman76:

"That was such a hot punishment."

@Aaney5:

"When punishment exceeds the crime, it’s becomes injustice . Even worse when it happens inside a mosque . must be condemned and criminal charges brought against the perpetrators .A little bit of guidance and community work will have sufficed."

Battery thief forced to eat chillies

In a related story, a competition to read the Quran was interrupted after a young man was caught stealing a battery.

Omar Rajab jumped over a perimeter wall and stole the battery to power a generator during the event.

However, the security guards apprehended him before he could escape, and the battery returned.

After further probing, Rajab admitted that he had recently been released from jail after being convicted of stealing.

Rajab was ordered to munch on piping hot chilli peppers as punishment for his crime.