Mexico's own "Batman" catches car thieves and turns them into laughingstocks (5 photos)

In the Mexican city of Lagos de Moreno (Jalisco state), local criminals are now afraid to go out onto the streets at night. The reason is a mysterious vigilante whom social media users have dubbed the "Batman of Lagos." However, the police are not pleased about this.





He specializes in targeting motorcycle thieves who have been making life miserable for local working-class residents. Yet, the methods employed by this Mexican Bruce Wayne have proven far more elaborate than anything seen in Hollywood movies.

In just ten days, five people have been found across the city, bound tightly to lampposts with gray duct tape. Ironically, the vigilante leaves the stolen bike next to each "captive"—serving as both physical evidence and a "receipt" for the job done.



But "Batman" doesn't stop at merely tying them up. He subjects every thief he catches to a session of severe humiliation. He writes the word "RATA" (rat) in marker right on their foreheads and leaves cardboard signs on their chests threatening other criminals.

Before leaving, the vigilante even drew fake rat whiskers on the faces of several of the men.

The criminals, found by passersby in the morning, are badly beaten and terrified, unable to provide any specific details about their attacker.





Social media in Lagos de Moreno is in an uproar: people are celebrating the arrival of "Batman" and demanding he be sent on assignment to other Mexican cities. Locals are openly commenting that one guy with a roll of duct tape has accomplished more in a week than the entire local police department has in a year.



However, the Jalisco State Prosecutor's Office does not share the public's enthusiasm. Law enforcement officials have officially stated that this is not heroism, but rather unlawful confinement and assault. Consequently, the police have opened criminal cases and issued a wanted notice for "Batman." To the fury of local residents, the police are currently classifying the bound thieves themselves as "assault victims."



Law enforcement suspects that the superhero mask conceals not a lone wolf, but an organized gang simply carving out spheres of influence. But the local residents are little concerned about this: motorcycle thefts in the city have dropped sharply.