JAKARTA, July 4 -- It looked like something straight out of neighbourhood vigilante justice: two alleged trespassers completely cocooned in duct tape until one resembled Tinky Winky from the Teletubbies, supposedly after angry neighbours helped a homeowner teach them a lesson.

The bizarre clip spread rapidly across social media earlier last week, with many viewers from Brazil to Russia and India believing the pair had been caught red-handed and punished by locals in Indonesia, while others jokingly said the tape-wrapped duo looked less like criminals and more like a homemade version of Malaysia's animated series Upin & Ipin or even pocongs, the shrouded hopping ghosts from Malay folklore.

But Indonesian news outlet Detik got the lowdown...