The Chinese police have seized 192 dogs from a slaughterhouse where it is believed they were abducted and kept in tiny cages to be later turned into meat.

The police seized the dogs at an abattoir in Jiangkou near the city of Chengdu in the Chinese province of Sichuan earlier this month.

While seizing 192 dogs of unknown original, mostly believed to be strays, the police quizzed a female worker at the slaughterhouse who claimed they were instructed by the local police station to catch roaming canines, according to the news site Baidu.

However, the police checked this claim at the scene and reportedly found no such directive from the local station.

The animals were found in cramped cages with filthy, matted fur and no space to move.

The authorities were alerted to the slaughterhouse by animal rights activists who found out the company was hoarding dogs back in July.

Volunteers watched the abattoir for two months and documented them bringing in large numbers of dogs at night over a sustained period of time, according to Baidu.

After gathering enough evidence, animal activists reported the slaughterhouse to the authorities on 5th September.

Police officers raided the abattoir and found 192 dogs in cramped metal cages, with around five to eight dogs per cage.

The animals were also kept in filthy conditions and had dirty fur and no space to move.

The police confirmed that a preliminary investigation has been carried out and sent to the local court who agreed to accept the case.