A mysterious vigilante known online as the “Mexican Batman” or the “Batman of Lagos de Moreno” has become the subject of a police manhunt in Jalisco, Mexico, after allegedly hunting down suspected motorcycle thieves, beating them, and duct-taping them to street lampposts. The bizarre string of incidents, which began on June 13 in the municipality of Lagos de Moreno, has left authorities investigating at least five cases over a span of 10 days. Each time, the suspected thieves were found bound to poles with heavy-duty duct tape, while motorcycles believed to have been stolen were left parked beside them.
Photos shared on X show some of the restrained men with moustaches and cat whiskers drawn on their faces, along with the word “ratero” (Spanish for thief) scrawled across their foreheads. In one incident, two men were taped back-to-back to a lamppost beneath a bright pink warning sign.
🇲🇽 Mexico’s Batman skips the cape, brings duct tape
Over in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, someone got tired of waiting on the police and started doing the job himself.
The method is less Gotham, more hardware store: hunt motorcycle thieves after dark, tape them to a lamppost, and… pic.twitter.com/SZMztLETWa
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 27, 2026
According to reports, the vigilante, dubbed the “Batman of Lagos de Moreno,” operates under the cover of darkness and appears to leave the recovered motorcycles beside the suspects as evidence of their alleged crimes.
Despite the public spectacle, police are treating the restrained men as victims of assault rather than criminals. State Security Secretary Juan Pablo Hernandez said authorities are actively searching for the vigilante and have identified two vehicles that may be linked to the attacks. Investigators are also trying to determine whether the incidents are the work of a lone individual or a larger group.
The men were eventually freed by police and treated for injuries sustained during the assaults. It remains unclear whether they are also being investigated for the alleged motorcycle thefts.
Mexico has a real-life ‘Batman of Lagos de Moreno’ hunting down thieves at night pic.twitter.com/q8XgDgLReR
— Interesting things (@awkwardgoogle) June 29, 2026
The incidents come amid a sharp rise in motorcycle thefts in Lagos de Moreno, fuelling frustration among residents. The vigilante campaign has since gone viral across platforms including TikTok, X, and Instagram, where many users have praised the masked figure for taking action against suspected criminals.
Others, however, have warned that vigilante justice sets a dangerous precedent. Human rights advocates argue that taking the law into one’s own hands risks escalating violence and undermines the justice system, regardless of the allegations against those targeted.
