A man is facing up to 9 years in prison for stealing Pokemon cards from shops in Singapore.
The 22-year-old man, who has not been named, was recently arrested for snatching the sometimes very valuable cards from the hit anime and manga franchise – based on the extremely popular video games – from shops in the country.
The thefts of at least 500 cards all reportedly took place in the Paya Lebar and Clementi areas of the South-East Asian island state.
The cops had the suspect in their sights from 9th May, according to reports, after the suspect returned to a shop he had previously robbed and the store manager called the police.
He was then caught red-handed with stolen Pokemon cards, with the cops linking the man to at least three other cases thanks to CCTV.
Newsflash obtained a statement from the Singapore Police Force dated 7th August saying (in English): “The Police have arrested a 22-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a series of theft in dwelling cases and fraudulent possession of property of Pokemon cards, that were stolen from various locations around Singapore.
“In May 2023, the Police received several reports from victims regarding four separate cases of theft in dwelling where boxes of Pokemon cards were stolen from stores in the vicinity of Paya Lebar and Clementi.
“On 9 May 2023, the Police received a call for assistance as the victim reported that the same man who had stolen the Pokemon cards previously, had returned to the store. The man was found in possession of an opened box of Pokemon cards that did not belong to him.
“Through ground enquiries and with the aid of images from CCTV cameras, officers from Bedok Police Division established the man to be allegedly involved in three other cases of theft in dwelling that happened on 2 May 2023, 4 May 2023 and 8 May 2023, and he was subsequently arrested.”
The statement also said: “A total of about 500 Pokemon cards were seized as case exhibits.”
It went on: “The man will be charged in court on 8 August 2023 with theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871 and fraudulent possession of property under Section 35(1) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 1906.”
In Singapore, theft in a dwelling is considered a serious offence under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871 and carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine.
And fraudulent possession of property carries a potential fine of SGD 5,000 (GBP 291,24) as well as a prison term “not exceeding 2 years”.
