Three young men in HCM City’s Cu Chi District died after attempting to chase after dog thieves, allegedly murdered by the culprits, one official has said.

Lieutenant-colonel, Tra Van Hon, head of the Police Department for Investigation of Social Order - Related Crimes in Cu Chi District confirmed on June 14 Cu Chi District Police were informed that there were three fatalities on Nguyen Kim Cuong Road.

Crime scene

The victims were Huynh Kim Bao, Pham Quoc Huu and Nguyen Minh Phuong, all 19-years old.

Police gathered evidence, including a motorbike, supposed to belong to Nguyen Quoc Huu, and three home-made knives around 60 centimetres long.

Results from the initial investigation seem show that there was a dog theft and Bao, Phuong and Huu drove a motorbike to chase after a group of four suspects who were trying to flee on two motorbikes.

Bao and his friends got into an accident. Bao died instantly, and Phuong and Huu were seriously injured and taken to Hospital 115 by local residents. By 10pm these two men died of serious brain trauma.

Bao being taken home for his funeral

The exact cause of three young men's death is unknown at this point, but many witnesses reported that the four thieves used a home-made electrical gun to attack Bao, Phuong and Huu.

“We’re cooperating with HCM City Police for a more thorough investigation,” Hon said.

Dog thefts appear to be rampant in Cu Chi District, Hon confirmed that they have recorded several cases in which dog thieves have used large motorbikes and home-made guns to capture dogs.

He added that they have arrested many of such thieves and seized these types of devices.

The incident in Cu Chi District has stirred up public concern over the effectiveness of the police force there.