Man arrested for series of thefts: Pokemon cards taken from multiple locations in Singapore

SINGAPORE: A 22-year-old man has been taken into police custody, following his alleged involvement in a series of thefts of Pokemon cards from various locations around the city.

On Monday (7 Aug), the Singapore Police Force shared on its Facebook page that they received multiple reports in May 2023 from victims of theft in dwelling cases in the vicinity of Paya Lebar and Clementi.

Four distinct incidents had been reported where boxes of Pokemon cards were stolen from retail stores situated in the mentioned areas.

The suspect’s activities came to a halt on 9 May 2023, when the police received an emergency call from a store owner claiming that the man who had previously stolen from them had returned. On inspection, the man was found with an opened box of Pokemon cards, which was not his property.

Swift action taken by officers from the Bedok Police Division, along with ground enquiries and evidence from CCTV footages, allowed the man to be linked to three other theft cases that took place on 2 May, 4 May, and 8 May 2023.

Following his arrest, a substantial number of about 500 Pokemon cards were confiscated as evidence for the case.

The accused is set to make a court appearance on 8 August 2023.

He will be facing charges of theft in dwelling, a crime under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871, and fraudulent possession of property, an offense detailed in Section 35(1) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 1906.