Rat tied, publicly shamed for stealing rice in China

Note saying that he will never admit that he stole the rice. Pic/Weibo

In a shocking incident, a rat caught eating rice at a convenient store was 'tied up and publicly shamed' so that it wouldn't repeat the offence in the future.

Pictures spotted on Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging platform, showed the rodent being tied up to what seemed to be a trolley, reported Daily Mail, UK.

Rat tied. Pic/Weibo

A piece of paper attached to the animal's body explained that it had been caught stealing. In one of the two photos, the rat seems to be carrying a placard, saying, "I swear I will never do it again!"

Apart from being tied as a punishment, yellow notes were also hung around the rodent's body, with one reading, "I am only capable of so much. Even if you beat me to death, I will never admit that I stole your rice," the Metro, UK reported.

The uploader said that the two pictures had been taken at the Lianping County of Heyuan city in southern China's Guangdong Province Speaking to MailOnline, the uploader said that as soon as he posted the photograph, he got a slew of comments.

"Some people pitied the rat, some people hated the rat, and some people found it to be funny," he said.

It is not known if the rat survived its ordeal.