The usual response is to overload them with work and basically hound them for ticket numbers, time allocation, budgets and adhere to a very rigid "no ticket, no work" version of the company policy. Preferably with all colleagues at the same time, just waiting at his desk before the boss walks in.

In that case, absolutely, yes.

Basically, their work was moved into other teams and it was obvious, that within a rather short time frame their team would be dissolved. And one way they thought to avoid that was to appear inexpensive by pushing any accountability away. Didn't work.