BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – A policeman was publicly caned Tuesday (May 28th) for gambling, a first for a police officer in the stridently Muslim province of Indonesia, AFP reported.

A crowd of 500 gathered as the policeman got six lashes outside a mosque in Sabang. A court in Aceh found him guilty of taking bets for a lucky numbers game.

Two others convicted with him managed to flee, avoiding the caning. Efforts by police colleagues to avert the officer's caning provoked an outcry from the public, forcing the officers to turn the man back over to authorities.