Tokyo police have arrested the president of a web PR firm after he allegedly swiped nine rare Pokemon cards worth roughly $52,000 during a business visit to a trading card shop.
Investigators say Tatsuki Haneda visited the retailer in Tokyo’s Nakano Ward in August to take promotional photos of products in the trading card shop. Staff lent him a card key so he could access a storage room where the high-value Pokemon cards were kept.
According to reports, Haneda finished the shoot but later claimed he had forgotten something. He then returned to the room using the same key and stole nine cards before leaving the store.
PR firm boss allegedly sold stolen Pokemon cards for $29,000
Haneda has reportedly admitted to the theft, telling officers he was short on money and had heard from staff that some of the cards were extremely valuable. The most expensive card taken was valued at about $16,300.
Police say Haneda sold several of the stolen cards the very next day for nearly $29,000.
This isn’t the first time a high-profile figure has been caught up in a Pokemon card crime. Earlier this year, an executive at a Singapore-based biomedical equipment supplier was jailed after tricking his CEO into handing over $500,000, which he blew on Pokemon cards and other luxuries.
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