Police in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City have arrested 12 people accused of stealing about 2,700 cats in night-time raids on residential areas and taking them away for slaughter, police and state media said on Monday.
Investigating the alleged cat theft ring, police seized equipment including hair-removal machines, cat traps and weighing scales, the AFP news agency reported from Hanoi.
Eating dog and cat meat is not illegal in Vietnam, and the meat is openly advertised and sold at restaurants across the country. Traders, however, are required to keep certificates showing where the animals came from.
Local media reported that the stolen cats were sold to restaurants for at least 70,000 dong, or about $2.70, a kilogram.
Police said in a statement that the 12 people arrested had admitted involvement in stealing and trafficking cats. According to their confessions, about 2,700 cats of various breeds were stolen and trafficked.
Criminal proceedings against those arrested began on Sunday.
Earlier this year, police in Ho Chi Minh City arrested 18 people suspected of links to two separate rings accused of stealing cats.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report