Gang strips 'shoplifter' naked
Wednesday, August 22, 2001
An alleged shoplifter in Poland was stripped naked and left in a city centre with the phrase 'I am a thief' written on his back.

Police in the city of Szczecin said a group of men in a Mercedes with blacked-out windows were responsible for the attack on the 19-year-old.

They were called by supermarket staff after the man was allegedly caught trying to steal a shirt.

"He refused to co-operate with police and since we had no official complaint from any supermarket we couldn't take any action against him. But depriving someone of their freedom is illegal," police spokesman Artur Marciniak told the PPA news agency.

Polish shops frequently employ protection gangs.

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