Dog thieves become more aggressive
Dog thieves in HCM City have become more aggressive and are increasingly attacking pet owners as there are not strict enough punishments.
Dog theft is a huge problem in HCM City, especially in the suburbs like Hoc Mon, Go Vap districts. The thieves operate frequently and can attack the owners if they are detected. On June 8, six thieves sprayed tear gas into a guard of a local company to steal the dog.
On June 26, a man in Dinh Hamlet, Tan Phu Trung Commune, said he heard strange noises from the front door of his house in the middle of the night and found four thieves trying to use a homemade taser on his dog.
Van Kim Ngan, a police of Dinh Hamlet, said the given motorbike number plate images weren't clear and might be fake and the thieves all wore masks. Ngan said the police often patrolled the area but they couldn't cover everything as the area was big.
Dog theft problem is complicated in Tan Phu Trung and Tan Thanh Dong communes. These two communes are adjacent to Hoc Mon District where most dog thieves are hiding.
Dog thieves seem to often carry weapons like knives if they are found by the owners and the authorities. There was a case when the thieves attacked police to rescue their accomplices.
On June 14, the thieves shot high-voltage slugs from a home-made gun at chasing dog owners. The owners were on motorbikes and died from the crash.
According to Ngan, the locals rarely report incidents to the police. "With the portable speakers, we often go out to encourage the people to report the crimes. The owners should remember what the thieves look like or notable features to report to the police. It's dangerous to fight them."
However, the owners didn't bother reporting on the incidents because of the too lenient punishments. On May 18, the police caught a thief who only admitted carrying out one theft. As the result, the dog worth was less than VND2m so the police didn't prosecute but applied a small fine.
Nguyen Duc Chanh, head of Duc Chanh Law Firm, also said the owners didn't go to the police because of lax punishments. They are upset and take the matters into their own hands but in return, the owners will become criminals if anything serious occurs to the thieves.
He urged the authorities to crack down on dog thieves. Chanh said depending on the details of each case that the thieves can be charged with robbery.
Dog theft is a huge problem in HCM City, especially in the suburbs like Hoc Mon, Go Vap districts. The thieves operate frequently and can attack the owners if they are detected. On June 8, six thieves sprayed tear gas into a guard of a local company to steal the dog.
On June 26, a man in Dinh Hamlet, Tan Phu Trung Commune, said he heard strange noises from the front door of his house in the middle of the night and found four thieves trying to use a homemade taser on his dog.
The owner in Dinh Hamlet lost one of his dogs to the thieves.
Van Kim Ngan, a police of Dinh Hamlet, said the given motorbike number plate images weren't clear and might be fake and the thieves all wore masks. Ngan said the police often patrolled the area but they couldn't cover everything as the area was big.
Dog theft problem is complicated in Tan Phu Trung and Tan Thanh Dong communes. These two communes are adjacent to Hoc Mon District where most dog thieves are hiding.
Dog thieves seem to often carry weapons like knives if they are found by the owners and the authorities. There was a case when the thieves attacked police to rescue their accomplices.
On June 14, the thieves shot high-voltage slugs from a home-made gun at chasing dog owners. The owners were on motorbikes and died from the crash.
According to Ngan, the locals rarely report incidents to the police. "With the portable speakers, we often go out to encourage the people to report the crimes. The owners should remember what the thieves look like or notable features to report to the police. It's dangerous to fight them."
However, the owners didn't bother reporting on the incidents because of the too lenient punishments. On May 18, the police caught a thief who only admitted carrying out one theft. As the result, the dog worth was less than VND2m so the police didn't prosecute but applied a small fine.
Nguyen Duc Chanh, head of Duc Chanh Law Firm, also said the owners didn't go to the police because of lax punishments. They are upset and take the matters into their own hands but in return, the owners will become criminals if anything serious occurs to the thieves.
He urged the authorities to crack down on dog thieves. Chanh said depending on the details of each case that the thieves can be charged with robbery.
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