Dog thieves armed with electrified harpoon guns were caught on CCTV trying to steal three dogs and threatening their owner in Ho Chi Minh City earlier this week.

Stealing dogs for their meat is a prevalent, yet extremely frowned-upon crime in rural Vietnam, where dog thieves are often on the receiving end of violent beatings, sometimes resulting in death, after being caught by locals.

Early Monday morning, L.M.H., a 57-year-old resident in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cu Chi District, was woken up by strange noises coming from the front of his house.

When he went to investigate the noise, H. found two men wearing facemasks, one armed with a handheld, spear-like harpoon and another with a harpoon gun, apparently trying to steal his dogs.

The dogs had been immobilized by the electrified harpoons, and were being violently dragged away through a gap under the steel net fence.

“Both thieves were wearing backpacks with electric wires that connected to the harpoons,” H. recalled. “When I saw them trying to knock over the fence and pull the dogs out, I cried for help and tried to stop them, but one of the thieves threatened me with his harpoon. I was so scared that I went back inside and threw a wok at them before they got on the motorbikes of their waiting partners and drove away with two of my dogs.”

All three of H.’s dogs were tasered by the men’s harpoons, and it took a while for his one remaining dog to regain consciousness, he said.

L.M.H.’s last remaining dog after the theft. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The entire crime was captured by a surveillance camera installed at the site.

An estimated five million dogs are slaughtered for food every year in Vietnam, many of which are stolen family pets or illegally sourced from neighboring countries, according to 2015 statistics by the Asia Canine Protection Association.

Dog thieves are frowned upon by locals, who often resort to violent beatings that even result in death when they manage to get their hands on the criminals.

Surveillance footage of the dog theft in Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City on June 26, 2017

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