SITIAWAN, June 3 — Two men were tied to a coconut tree by villagers after they were found stealing the fruit at the compound of Sekolah Agama Rakyat Al-Hidayah in Kampung Batu 7 Lekir, here, yesterday.

In the 10.30am incident, several villagers successfully nabbed the two individuals who were unaware that the owner of a grocery store nearby had spotted them climbing the five-metre high tree.

Former village head Mohd Yaacob Hashim, 65, who is also a resident nearby said he and 10 others went to the scene after receiving the news, and found one of the suspects was already in the Proton Wira, while another was heading to a shop near there.

"There were bunches of coconuts in the car, and I was not sure whether the fruits were taken from our village or from elsewhere.

"(However) they admitted to have taken the coconuts (from the tree) and we then tied them both up to the tree using the rope they had utilised to pluck the fruit,” he said when met here today.

Mohd Yaacob said the purpose of binding the two suspects — one in his teens and another in his early 30s — was to serve a lesson.

Mohd Yaacob said the two suspects had even begged to be released, confessing it was the first time they had done such a thing.

"We tied the both of them while waiting for police to arrive, and we did not hit or hurt them.

"Who would have thought in this blessed month there were still people who performed immoral activities (like stealing),” he added.

A footage of the incident had gone viral on social media, including Facebook. — Bernama