A Chinese man died after trying to catch two men who snatched his dog onto a van from his home in southwest China.
The 48-year-old man held onto a van window as he desperately tried to save his pooch. He was dragged 200 feet before being push off the car and hit his head on the floor.
A week after, local police busted an illegal dog trade and arrested six men for thievery and larceny.
CCTV footage shows a man cutting off an iron chain before stealing Mr Xie’s dog in China
Mr Xie desperately held onto the van as he tried to save his dog that got snatched away
Food manufacturer Xie Xingcai, noticed his dog, nicknamed Xiao Hei, being dragged on a silver van outside his home in Chengdu, on July 16, 2017, reported Huaxi City Daily.
CCTV footage captured the moment a man in orange top cutting an iron chain before grabbing a white dog onto the silver man.
Mr Xie can be seen holding onto the driver’s window as the van drives away.
He was dragged 60 metres (200 ft) on the road until a man pushed him off.
Mr Xie was taken to hospital by his wife. Doctors diagnosed him with severe brain injury and performed emergency surgery on Mr Xie, according to the report.
Mr Xie was living on life support for 18 days and died of multiple organ failure caused by lung infection after the operation.
Local police launched an investigation upon receiving a report from Mr Xie’s 25-year-old son, Xie Wen, on an account of dog theft.
A week later, the policemen busted an illegal dog trade in a small village in Xindu district in Chengdu.
Six men, including Xu Feng and Zhang Bo, who snatched Mr Xie’s dog, were arrested for theft and larceny.
The 48-year-old was dragged 200 feet on a pavement before the driver pushes him away
He suffered severe brain injury and died of multiple organ failure 18 days after the incident
Police caught six men involved in dog stealing, including the two who snatched Mr Xie’s dog
The stolen dogs were often sold to buyers who run a dog meat restaurant in China, according to a report by PETA Asia.
‘The profit of raising dog farms is very small. To most dog restaurant owners, stealing pet dogs or stray dogs allow them to increase the profit margins,’ stated in the report.
Dog thieves will face mild punishment due to the cheap price dealt in the illegal dog trades.
The report also stated that as much as 73 per cent of pet dogs were stolen in villages months before the notorious dog meat festival that held annually in Autumn.
Mr Xie’s case was passed onto Chengdu Intermediate People’s Court on February 28. Defendants, Xu Feng and Zhang Bo, pleaded guilty to unintentional murder.
‘I plead guilty. I’d never thought of injuring anyone. I am willing to compensate as much as I can, I can sell my house to repay the debt. I am truly sorry,’ Xu told Mr Xie’s family in the court.
Xie Wen said he would not settle with compensation.
‘Dog stealing happened too often in this country. They need to face their punishment,’ Xie said.