12 people in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, have been arrested after being accused of stealing and trafficking around 2,700 cats from residential neighbourhoods.
The suspects allegedly operated late at night, using traps and fish as bait before selling the animals to a buyer who supplied cats for meat.
According to the Vietnamese police’s statement on Monday (5 Oct), the group typically operated between 11pm and 4am, when most residents were asleep.
Members allegedly travelled around residential areas on motorbikes in small groups, targeting places where households were known to keep cats.
Source: Vietnamnet
The groups allegedly operated across Dong Thanh and Hoc Mon communes and Tan Thoi Hiep and An Hoi Tay wards.
They would place traps baited with pieces of fish outside homes before returning to collect the animals.
Each group was believed to have caught between four and 10 cats per night.
Police said the suspects admitted to stealing and trafficking approximately 2,700 cats in total.
Officers identified a 39-year-old man named Binh as the alleged main buyer in the network.
He was accused of purchasing live cats from the groups before reselling them to customers seeking the animals for meat.
Source: loveombra on Pexels, for illustration purposes only.
Police said he also obtained cats from other sources, creating what authorities described as an organised system for collecting, keeping, and reselling the animals.
Stolen cats fetch at least 70,000 dong (around S$3.00) per kilogram when sold to restaurants, according to the media.
Eating cat meat is legal in Vietnam, but sellers must provide documentation showing where the animals came from.
During the investigation, officers seized 50 live cats, along with 55 cat traps, two weighing scales, two fur-removal machines, seven motorbikes, 13 mobile phones, and other items.
The investigation began after residents in several parts of Ho Chi Minh City reported pets being stolen at night.
Police subsequently conducted surveillance and traced the movements of suspected members of the network.
Authorities have been working to identify the owners of the rescued cats. So far, 13 have been returned to their owners.
Source: Vietnamnet
The remaining animals have been placed in the care of the Havepaws Social Centre, an animal welfare organisation, while efforts continue to reunite them with their families.
Police have also urged anyone whose cat may have been stolen by the group to come forward with information.
Also read: 8 men in Vietnam arrested for allegedly stealing over 50 dogs for meat
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Featured image adapted from Vietnamnet.