5 Vietnamese arrested for beating dog theft suspect to dead
They said they were angry about pet dogs being stolen continuously in the neighborhood.
Police in the northern province of Quang Ninh have arrested five men for allegedly beating a dog theft suspect to death.
The men, between 21 and 32 years of age, said they were angry that local families kept having their pet dogs stolen, which sometimes happened in broad daylight.
So they decided to catch the thieves and their first victim was a 26-year-old man, who they claimed was trying to steal dogs in the area early on September 26.
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| A suspected dog thief found dead with his motorbike on the street in Quang Ninh Province September 26. |
The suspect was found dead on the street with many injuries at around 2:30 a.m. on September 26.
The five said they had beaten him with iron sticks, canes and tubes with sharp blades.
Vietnam is estimated to consume 5 million dogs per year and is second only to China, which consumes roughly 20 million.
Many of the dogs are stolen pets sold to small, unregulated abattoirs.
Dog thieves are rarely punished. The people who buy and sell stolen meat almost never get punished either.
Vietnamese law only treats theft as a criminal offense if the object stolen exceeds VND2 million, less than US$100.
Due to rising pressure both inside and outside the country, legislators are considering a provision that would criminalize the theft of a pet.
For now, vigilante mobs often justify their actions, which sometimes prove fatal, to the lack of legal repercussions for the crime.
