Two thieves have been severely beaten and had their motorbike burned down by residents in southern Vietnam after being caught red-handed stealing their dogs.

The Department of Police in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province, confirmed on Friday morning that they are looking into the attack on the two suspects.

Initial information showed that residents of Phuoc Tan Commune spotted two suspicious men on the morning of the same day and decided to follow them.

As the pair stopped at a house and shot a dog with their home-made taser gun, a crowd of locals surrounded the two dog thieves and began beating them.

After police arrived at the scene, the men were lying on the ground with severe injuries, while their motorcycle had been burned down.

The taser gun and bodies of six dogs were also found nearby.

The two dog thieves were then admitted to the Dong Nai Province General Hospital for emergency treatment.

A representative from the infirmary told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the victims were M.V.H., 26, and T.M.H., 35.

M.V.H. suffered a broken right arm and right leg, along with a fractured skull, while T.M.H. sustained soft tissue wounds.

M.V.H. also tested positive for HIV, the representative said, adding that those assaulting him could possibly have been exposed to the virus.

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.

In May, six suspects from a dog theft gang in the southern Vietnamese province of Tay Ninh have been sentenced to a combined 30 years in prison.

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