Game Store Staff's Constant Talking Helps Recover Stolen Pokémon Cards Worth RM172,000
When your yapping comes in clutch.
Thieves in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada attempted a daring heist on 18 September, targeting Enter The Battlefield, a local game store
Under the cover of darkness, they smashed through the front door and made off with approximately 300 valuable trading cards, including rare and highly sought-after Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering cards.
The estimated value of the stolen loot? A staggering USD150,000 (RM646,000).
Store owner Kris Fekete arrived the next morning to a scene of devastation, with display cases ransacked and his prized collection of rare cards gone.
But this story has a twist: the thieves' victory was short-lived, thanks to the sharp eyes and quick thinking of the staff at another game store.
The plot thickened on 1 October when the thieves unknowingly walked into their own trap
The two men entered OMG Games in Barrie, Ontario, a game store about an hour away from Newmarket. They attempted to trade in a large number of cards, hoping to convert their stolen goods into cash.
But the staff at OMG Games, led by owner Rick Bates, were more than just casual gamers. They were aware of the Enter The Battlefield heist and immediately recognised the cards as the stolen ones. Thinking quickly and without raising any alarms, Bates contacted both Fekete and the York Regional Police.
The police instructed Bates to keep the suspects occupied until officers arrived. A tense situation unfolded as OMG Games staff cleverly stalled the would-be traders.
Bates and his team became masters of distraction, expertly engaging the two suspects in conversation for nearly 40 minutes
Image via CTV News
They chatted about everything from counterfeit cards to the latest trends in the trading card world, all while subtly keeping a watchful eye on the stolen goods. This clever tactic bought precious time for the Barrie police to arrive.
The authorities swooped in and arrested the two men, successfully recovering an estimated USD30,000 (RM129,259) to USD40,000 (RM172,346) worth of the stolen trading cards.
While not the entire haul, it represented a significant portion of the original loot, thanks to the quick thinking and collaborative efforts of two game stores and the police.
This daring heist in Newmarket is unfortunately not an isolated incident
It highlights a growing trend of thieves targeting valuable Pokémon cards, with similar incidents making headlines in recent years. As the popularity and value of trading card games continue to soar, collectors and store owners are facing heightened risks.
Earlier this year, a nurse was caught flipping cards to pay their debt:
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