A Vietnamese restaurant owner was arrested in Sham Shui Po on Saturday after the meat of what is suspected to be local stray dogs was found at her stall.

She was arrested under the suspicion cruelty to animals, and her grocery store was cordoned off.

The 49-year old woman, surnamed Ly, is believed to be one of Hong Kong’s last naturalised Vietnamese refugees, Ming Pao reports.

However, the actual slaughterer, who is believed to be an acquaintance of Ly’s and also from Vietnam, is still at large.

A local resident surnamed Heung filed a report to the police on Friday afternoon after witnessing and recording a man butchering what he believed to be a dog.

“The dog head’s eyes and teeth were sticking out”, the witness said.

The police line operator told Heung to “call the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, instead”.

Police arrived two hours after the report, claimed no dog meat was found, and the case was listed as a “misunderstanding”.

The incident, however, went viral after Heung recounted his experience on Facebook, and netizens returned to the scene with Heung to “gather evidence”.

During their search, Ly apparently fled with a bag of rubbish. She later dropped the bag, which was discovered to be full of bones.

The group then called the police again, which this time seized a pot full of unidentified bones, knives and cutting board.

Photo: Ming Pao

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