Thief steals £180,000 in ‘Pokémon’ cards after breaking through shop wall

A game and card shop in Minnesota has lost around £183,726 ($250,000) after being robbed by a man who stole rare Pokémon cards and cash by breaking through a wall.

On the night of February 10, a man gained access to a neighbouring shop and brake through a connecting wall to rob Forest Lake, Minnesota based Punch Out Gaming. As reported by KARE 11, via Kotaku, the shop is self-described as a “mom and pop store” that buys and sells trading cards and video games. The store has recently seen increased demand for all things Pokémon related, especially cards.

The man’s theft was caught on the store security cameras. After entering the store through the wall, he stole around £183,726 in Pokémon cards and merchandise. Because he did not open any doors, no alarms were triggered.

“I just feel numb, just watching somebody come in and take everything away that you worked so hard to build up over the years,” Jason Peterson, one of the shop’s owners, told Fox 9.

Another owner of Punch Out Gaming, Eric Johnson, said: “I realised how much money, product, and time we put into it, and I just started crying…I can’t recover this product because our distributors don’t have any. So, even with the insurance money, that doesn’t do us any good.”

Punch Out Gaming shared images and footage of the robber on its Facebook page. The store is also offering a reward to anyone who can help arrest the thief.

The owners have received a lot of support online, and many Pokémon fans have offered to keep an eye out for any stolen merchandise being sold online.

In other news, horror games Agony and Agony Unrated have mysteriously disappeared from the Steam libraries of those who own the game. The store pages have also been removed.