Two men were arrested for stealing dogs in Nghe An, Vietnam, last Wednesday. Police on patrol spotted Le Viet Dat, 23, and 24-year-old Dang Ba Dat driving around a Nghi Loc neighborhood and acting suspiciously on Oct. 3, VN Express reported.
The two were stopped for a check and refused to comply and tried to flee. One tried to resist arrest and pulled a knife, which proved to be a failure.
Two stolen dogs, six pieces of poisoned bait and a knife were seized from them. The men are now in police custody and will be charged with stealing property and resisting arrest, which could see them jailed for three and seven years respectively on each charge.
The consumption of dog meat is deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture. The country is the world’s second largest consumer of the meat, with an estimated five million dogs being eaten annually. However, the Hanoi People’s Committee has urged residents to stop eating dog and cat meat to prevent the spread of viruses and to improve the capital’s reputation.
Read: Hanoi asks its residents to stop eating dog meat
Read: Hanoi vows to eliminate all dog meat restaurants by 2021