Four Vietnamese men were arrested Wednesday by the Gunma prefectural police on suspicion of slaughtering pigs at an unlicensed site in violation of the slaughterhouse law.
The four suspects, ages 22 to 32, include Nguyen Dung Hop, a 32-year-old technical intern trainee who lives in Yura-cho in Ota, Gunma Prefecture.
A series of thefts of pigs and chickens had occurred in the northern Kanto region, so the prefectural police officers are investigating if the thefts are connected to the four men.
According to a police report, sometime around July the four men slaughtered a pig for meat in a room of the apartment they shared in the city without having received permission to do so from the governor. Some of the men have admitted to the charges.
The police arrested one of the men on suspicion of stealing five gourds from a field in the city on Oct. 4. Police searched his apartment and found 14 bags of pork and five knives, including a butcher knife believed to have been used for the slaughtering of the pig.
Considering the quantity of meat, some of it is believed to have been eaten by the men or sold. According to sources close to the investigation, one of the suspects reportedly said: "I butchered the pig at home and barbecued some of the meat to eat."
The police are investigating the case on suspicion that the four had other associates for the transport of livestock because the four men do not possess a car.
On Monday, the prefectural police had arrested a group of 13 Vietnamese in the city, suspected of involvement in livestock theft, on suspicion of violating the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law, including overstaying their visa.
According to a senior prefectural police official, photos of the four men arrested Wednesday showing their apartment and grilled pork were posted on social media used by a member of the group arrested Monday, so the prefectural police are investigating the connections.
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