A woman in northern Vietnam is being questioned by police for hanging her five-year-old foster daughter by the hands from a house beam as punishment for allegedly stealing a box of milk.

Footage of the torturous punishment was uploaded on social media on Saturday morning, sparking a wave of criticism from netizens.

Le Chi Thai, deputy chairman of Vinh Tuong District, Vinh Phuc Province, confirmed the incident to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday, saying that the girl’s relatives had picked her up from the foster family.

In the 37-second video, a screaming five-year-old girl, later identified as N.P.N.A., can be seen hanging from her hands around a house beam, desperately floundering and crying for help.

“It hurts… It hurts,” the girl can be heard begging.

According to the Vinh Tuong District administration, where the incident occurred, A. is a foster daughter of Nguyen Thi Phuong, who runs a local grocery shop.

Phuong and her husband adopted the child after her parents were put in jail in their hometown in neighboring Phu Tho Province, Thai said.

According to Phuong, A. often misbehaved and, despite multiple warnings, would steal her groceries to sell for pocket money.

Phuong recently caught A. red-handed trying to steal a box of milk to drink, which led to the punishment seen in the clip, according to Phuong’s testimony at the police station.

Thai stressed that doing such a thing to a child was “unacceptable” in any circumstances, and that Phuong’s actions would be handled in accordance with the law.

A. had been taken to hospital for a health examination following the incident, Thai said, where she was not found to be suffering from any serious injury.

A.’s relatives from Phu Tho Province picked her up from the foster home on Monday, Thai added.

Five-year-old girl N.P.N.A. is hung by her hands from a house beam.

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