Police in Castres arrested five suspected extortionists after an alleged case of violence and cruelty, involving a puppy, dating back a week and a half. The suspects, all major men, were taken into custody on Tuesday 20 October. By Tuesday evening, they were still being held at the Castres police station. Investigators said the matter involved a suspected attempted extortion, alleged violence in a group, and acts of cruelty to an animal, in this case a puppy. The violence allegedly left the victim with an incapacity to work for more than eight days. The police operation began with the arrest of the five individuals at their homes early in the morning, leading to their custody at the local commissariat. No other details on charges or evidence were provided in the report.