Real-life “Batman” ties burglary suspects to poles. Mexican police investigate

Jalisco authorities are investigating a series of attacks attributed to an anonymous vigilante after five men were found tied to poles and publicly identified as motorcycle thieves.

In the city of Lagos de Moreno, in the Mexican state of Jalisco, an anonymous vigilante spent around ten days capturing motorcycle theft suspects and leaving them duct-taped to street lamp posts, so that the police could find them in the morning.

The first known incident was recorded on June 13, when officers found a man tied to a post with a cardboard sign identifying him as “pickpocket“, the Spanish word used for “thief”, according to local reports.

Since then, four more men have been found in the same way, some gagged, others with the word written on their bodies in marker. In at least one case, two men were found bound back to back with duct tape, with an allegedly stolen motorbike parked nearby.

The Mexican journalist Luis Cardenaswhich images some of these cases on X, summarized the tone of several comments on social media.

“Faced with a lack of help from authorities, an unsung hero began hunting down motorcycle thieves,” he wrote. “So far, you’ve caught five in ten days, and they call it Batman of Lagos de Moreno“.

🚨 In Jalisco, after the lack of help from the authorities, an anonymous hero began hunting motorcycle thieves. So far, he has been there for five in ten days and is nicknamed the ‘Batman of Lagos de Moreno’.

— LuisCardenasMX (@LuisCardenasMx)

Mexican police treat “targets” as victims, not criminals

According to , the secretary of Public Security of Jalisco, JJuan Pablo Hernandezconfirmed that police are actively investigating the case and tracking two vehicles believed to be linked to the episodes.

Hernández also made a point of clarifying that the tied up men are, for now, classified as victims, not as confirmed criminals, and that no one has the right to act as judge and jury in the street.

The men were eventually released and treated for injuries, including signs of aggression. It is not yet clear whether they will be charged with any crime.

It remains unclear whether this is a masked vigilante or a small group acting together. The police admit that there may be more than one person involved, although the men found arrested did not give details that would allow them to confirm this hypothesis.