Police have detained a man and a woman suspected of poisoning 20 dogs and 10 cats in central Vietnam in one night. 

In the early hours of Sunday, residents of Thanh Hoa Commune, Nhu Xuan District in Thanh Hoa Province found the bodies of dogs and cats scattered on the main street in their neighborhood.

Suspicious that the animals had been poisoned for stealing later, they informed the commune police and assisted the latter in watching out for further developments at the scene.

At around two the next morning, a man and a woman were caught red handed as they were collecting the dead dogs and cats in bags. The duo was traveling on one motorbike while they were ambushed by the police and residents.

The bodies of 30 dogs and cats killed by poisoning in Thanh Hoa Province
in central Vietnam on June 14, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Son.

Le Van Tuyen, the commune’s chairman, said the two suspects are residents of Hai Duong Province in northern Vietnam. 

They have been handed over to the police department of Nhu Xuan District.

It has been confirmed that the dogs and cats had been poisoned.

Local authorities said residents have recently reported several instances of dogs and cats going missing. 

Vietnam's dog and cat meat trade has received strong criticism from the international community and is not popular among the modern youths. Yet it just continues as there are no laws related to the killing, selling and eating of cat and dog meat in Vietnam. Stealing dogs are only a criminal offense when the dogs are worth more than VND2 million ($86).