Anime News

Thieves Steal Over $200K in Pokémon Cards in Japan, Get Arrested

pokémon cards

With the way collecting has skyrocketed over the years, it should come as no surprise that Pokémon cards can equal big bucks. Thieves know this well, of course, and two men in Japan were recently arrested on suspicion of stealing 539 Pokémon cards from a Chiyoda Ward shop. The total of these cards—reportedly stolen from the shop on August 17, 2021—comes to an incredible ¥26.6 million, which adds up to a little over US$204,000. 

Obviously these were high-profile cards, and while they weren’t specified, one of them apparently came to ¥590,000 ($4,536) on its own. Both men have confessed to the theft, and one mentioned they had applied for a “dark part-time job.” 

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police formally announced the arrest this week, and it follows a string of major robberies that have been targeting card shops—Pokémon cards specifically, in many cases—across Japan. Three others were arrested for related crimes last month, and the local police are currently looking into any connections between cases. 

Via Crunchyroll News