A Japanese man was arrested in Tokyo after allegedly stealing 1,500 Pokemon TCG cards on behalf of another group or individual. The thief reportedly traveled over 1,000 miles from his home in Okinawa, only to be left holding the bag with stolen merchandise valued at 1.15 million yen, or $8,240 USD.
The Pokemon Trading Card Game launched in 1996, several months after the original Game Boy titles were released in Japan. The collectible card game was a massive success for Pokemon co-owner Creatures Inc., selling over 52.9 billion cards across the game's history. Card-collecting is a significant component of the Pokemon trading card market, with some rare cards having an absurdly high resale value. Unsurprisingly, this massive profit potential appeals to those who don't mind breaking the law if the payday is high enough.
The 35-year-old Masaki Omori from the southern Japanese island of Okinawa was recently arrested for stealing 1,500 Pokemon cards from a business in Tokyo's Akihabara shopping district. The targeted store sold a variety of valuable goods, such as mobile phones, but a third-party specifically hired Omori to pilfer its stock of Pokemon cards. He was reportedly promised 1 million yen, about $7,050, for successfully committing the crime, but was stood up by his employer.
This Pokemon heist originated when Omori, who had lost a significant amount of money gambling, applied for the job on Twitter. Known as a "yami baito" or "dark part-time job," jobs like this are usually one-time endeavors promising large payouts for high-risk criminal activities. The anonymous employer specified which shop Omori would target, which items to steal, and the time and place where he was supposed to exchange the illegally obtained Pokemon cards for his payment.
On April 11, Omori flew from Okinawa to the Japanese prefecture of Ibaraki, directly north of Tokyo. He then rented a car which he drove to the site of the crime. The break-in occurred at 5 AM on April 12, before the store opened for the day. The business was empty of staff, allowing him to steal the Pokemon cards and escape without confrontation. However, his employer never arrived at the meeting place to collect the cards. Police recovered the stolen merchandise during Omori's arrest.
Authorities don't yet know who hired Omori to commit the burglary, though police are reportedly investigating and have access to Omori's smartphone. However, this is not the first example of a Pokemon-related robbery. Back in March, a trio of thieves stole $1 million worth of Pokemon cards and other memorabilia, and similar crimes have occurred since.
Source: Asahi Shimbun Digital, NHK, Sora News 24