Jakarta – An angry mob in Indonesia's West Java town of Tasikmalaya took justice in their own hands and burned to death three street thugs who had been allegedly extorting money from local transport operators, a report said Sunday.

The three had arrived in a car with another man and had been demanding "security money" from local bus and public transport operators on Saturday when a mob of dozens of people formed and chased them, the Pikiran Rakyat newspaper said.

Three were caught and beaten up. Apparently unsatisfied with merely beating them up, the mob threw kerosene on the three men and set them and their car on fire. The fourth man escaped but was later caught by the police, the daily said.

Police have not yet arrested anyone over the deaths but have launched an investigation into the incident, the daily said.