The authorities seized cat traps, fur removal machines and measuring scales during the investigation. The suspects allegedly roamed the residential areas in small groups on motorbikes at night and stole the cats to be slaughtered for food. Police in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City have arrested 12 men on suspicion of running a citywide ring that stole and resold approximately 2,700 cats for meat.
The police have not yet determined exactly how long the ring had been operating. Apart from stealing the cats, Binh also purchased them from independent sellers. Police have identified 39-year-old Luu Thanh Binh as the leader of the network, according to a report in VnExpress International . Binh and 11 accomplices are under investigation for property theft. The network was exposed during a July 8 raid in Dong Thanh Commune, where 50 cats, 55 traps, and two scales were recovered. During questioning, the 12 suspects admitted to stealing and selling roughly 2,700 cats. Of the 50 cats seized during the July raid, police have returned 13 to their owners.
