Ho Chi Minh City: Vietnamese police arrested 12 men accused of operating a large scale network that allegedly stole around 2,700 cats from residential areas and supplied them to the meat trade.

Police said the suspects admitted involvement in the theft and trafficking of approximately 2,700 cats of different types. Criminal proceedings against the group began on Sunday.

According to state media, members of the alleged network operated in small groups, travelling through residential neighbourhoods on motorcycles late at night and in the early hours of the morning.

Authorities first uncovered the network in July, when they rescued 50 live cats and seized dozens of traps, weighing equipment, and other items allegedly linked to the operation.

Investigators estimated that individual teams were stealing between four and 10 cats in one night.

Authorities allege that the stolen animals were moved through the network before being sold into the food trade.

Eating cat and dog meat is legal in Vietnam, but businesses that sell it must provide documentation confirming the animals’ origins. The case therefore centres not on the meat trade itself, but on allegations that household pets were stolen and illegally supplied to businesses.

Local media reports say stolen cats can be sold to restaurants for at least 70,000 Vietnamese dong (around USD 2.70) per kilogram.

The latest arrests come as police step up a broader crackdown on organised cat theft in Ho Chi Minh City.

Earlier this year, police arrested 18 people suspected of involvement in two separate cat stealing networks. In another major operation in June, authorities rescued more than 400 cats, some of which were later reunited with their owners.

The latest investigation is ongoing as Vietnamese authorities seek to disrupt networks accused of stealing household animals and supplying them to the commercial meat trade.