'Cut off hands' - Mexican presidential candidate's plan to deter thieves

Independent presidential candidate Jaime Rodriguez and his wife Adeline Davalos gesture after arriving at Palacio de Mineria for the first presidential debate in Mexico City, Mexico April 22, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Romero

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Thieves should have their hands chopped off, a Mexican presidential candidate said in a televised debate on Sunday, provoking disbelief from a moderator and setting off a storm of comments and jokes on Twitter.

Jaime Rodriguez, an independent known as "El Bronco," who is trailing in opinion polls, made the proposal during a discussion about corruption in the first televised debate among the five presidential candidates ahead of the July 1 election.