Police arrest car-borne dog thieves using electric guns

By Hoang Phong   April 7, 2020 | 07:42 pm PT
14 dogs and six electric guns were found in the back of a car after Binh Duong police stopped two men Tuesday morning.

Nguyen Van Ha, 33, and Nguyen Duy Khanh, 32, were caught at around 2 a.m. by police officers patrolling the streets around Phu An Ward, Ben Cat Town in the southern province of Binh Duong.

Two men are arrested in Binh Duong Province with 14 stolen dogs found in their car (pictured) April 7, 2020. Photo by VOV.

Two men are arrested in Binh Duong Province with 14 stolen dogs found in their car (pictured) April 7, 2020. Photo by VOV.

The officers saw that one of the duo was driving the car and the other using electric guns to shoot dogs on the street.

The police followed the car and stopped it, whereupon one of the thieves tried to flee into a rubber plantation nearby. He was caught, however. The police found 14 dogs and six electric guns in the back of the car. The two men are being investigated for "stealing property," a crime punishable by up to 15 years in jail, local media reported.

Dog theft is not uncommon in Vietnam, where an estimated five million dogs are consumed a year, second only to China's 20 million. But it is rarely treated as a criminal offense in Vietnam. Only when the stolen animals are valued at more than VND2 million ($86) is it dealt with as a crime under current laws.

Many dogs that make it to the cooking pot are stolen pets sold to small, unregulated abattoirs.

 
 
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