This is the bizarre moment a tourist was caught allegedly stealing women's underwear in Indonesia.

The backpacker was reportedly plucking undergarments from residents' clotheslines when he was caught by residents in Badung Regency on holiday island Bali on December 13 evening.

Footage shows the locals beaming flashlights into a dark yard as they cornered the hoodie-wearing tourist. He was found with women's clothes including jackets, bras, and underwear.

The bespectacled man claimed he was drunk as he tried to explain himself to the furious residents.

He allegedly said: 'I'm sorry. I don't know. I was drunk. Please give me five minutes to straighten everything out.'

The worried tourist added that he was 'afraid of so many people here'.

First Inspector Anggi Wahyu Romadhoni, head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Kuta Police, said: 'The foreigner was caught by residents, but he was released and the stolen underwear was returned. We are still investigating.

'At the time of the incident, he only took the victims' clothes. No charges were filed because no complaints were lodged with the police.'

There has been a recent spate of misbehaving tourists on the bustling holiday island in Indonesia.

Officials have even taken steps to reign in the chaos following complaints from police and residents about tourists disrespecting the culture, violating traffic rules, committing crimes and behaving badly in public.