In recent years, the huge interests behind the “Pokémon Trading Cards” trading market have gradually begun to attract the attention of many criminals. In addition to the many recent robberies in Europe and the United States, various similar criminal incidents have also begun to break out in Japan. Many fans have begun to worry that game cards may have become a tool used by criminal groups to engage in illegal activities such as money laundering. Recently, logistics vehicles were directly targeted by suspected thefts, and one of them was even the “insider” of the logistics company.
according to TBS The website reports that the suspects Kota Kobayashi and Tatsuki Hosoya, aged 26 and 27 respectively, targeted a logistics truck transporting “Pokémon” cards in Chiyoda District, Tokyo in December last year, and stole goods worth up to 34 million yen while the driver was temporarily away. However, they were immediately arrested.
Not only that, one of the suspects, Kota Kobayashi, is said to have been a transportation staff member of the victim logistics company at the time. Therefore, he abused some details related to internal operations that were not disclosed to the public, such as the routes of logistics vehicles and delivery schedules, etc., allowing him and his accomplices to accurately identify targets and the time of attack.
The theft occurred during a routine stop of the logistics vehicle. At that time, the driver had already got off the car and entered the store for confirmation. The suspect took advantage of this gap to open the carriage and quickly stole the package containing more than 300 “Pokémon” card packs. After being arrested, the two also admitted to committing the crime, but it is believed that the two had successfully sold some of the stolen goods and made a profit of about 5 million yen.
However, this incident is obviously not an isolated case. In recent years, a number of theft cases surrounding “Pokémon” cards have begun to appear around the world. Some groups have even broken into card stores holding events with guns in broad daylight to commit crimes, or used chainsaws to sneak into card stores to steal. As for Japan, card stores in Osaka and the southwestern region have recently reported “flash-mob robbery” and other criminal incidents. Not only that, there are also rumors that people behind the scenes are recruiting “Pokémon” card thieves online.
Source: KOCPC Chinese