Interest
Man Steals 2.2 Million Yen in Pokémon Cards
posted on by Kim Morrissy
NHK reported on Tuesday that a 25-year-old company worker was arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of stealing 2.2 million yen (about US$15,738) worth of Pokémon trading cards from a store in Yamanashi Prefecture's Fujiyoshida City. One card was reportedly worth up to 180,000 yen (US$1,288).
The police reported that the suspect, Yūki Murakami from Tokyo's Ōta ward, entered the store at approximately 1 a.m. on May 8 and stole 74 cards in total.
The Card Shop Mero store in Fujiyoshida City posted an image of the ransacked store at 9:45 a.m. later that day. The store's management noted in a tweet that the showcase was broken and the back area was in disarray. Fortunately, no staff members suffered were harmed because the incident took place at night.
お店に空き巣が入りました。
— カードショップmero 山梨 富士吉田店 (@tcg_mero0529) May 8, 2023
幸い深夜でしたのでスタッフに怪我はありません。
ショーケースは割られていて、裏は荒らされていました。 pic.twitter.com/Tc4YlCDJSR
Police found the suspect in security camera footage. Murakami admitted that he stole cards to sell them, and that he was also stealing from other stores. Police also seized a large quantity of Pokémon cards from other stores at Murakami's house, and are investigating his connection to other incidents in the Kanto region.
Source: NHK via Hachima Kikо̄