A 20-year-old US man dressed as Spider-Man and allegedly shoplifted nearly $10,000 (approximately Rs 856,000) worth of trading cards related to popular anime from a shop in Virginia. According to the New York Post, the man, identified as Joe Brown, broke into Gaming Giant, a family-owned collectibles store in Fairfax, and took off with the stack of valuable cards on the night of March 14. While committing the crime, the man was wearing a Spider-Man costume that covered his face. He has been charged with burglary and released on an unsecured bond, cops said.
In a Facebook post, the store shared the details of the robbery. “On Friday night, after closing, our store was broken into and robbed. Our front door was broken down and the culprit was wearing a masked Spiderman hoodie, taking numerous graded slabs as well as sealed Pokemon product,” the post read. “We are cooperating with local authorities to see what can be done about the situation,” it added.
According to the New York Post, the 20-year-old scouted the store ahead of time. He reportedly came in during operating hours and asked about specific graded cards related to popular anime series Dragon Ball Z, One Piece and Pokemon. All these cards were locked in the display case, the store told the cops.
The owner then said that Brown returned after hours on Friday night, broke into the store and made off with “numerous graded slabs as well as sealed Pokemon product”.
Cops received tips about the burglary following which they arrested the 20-year-old. He was charged with burglary and released on unsecured bond, the police said.
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Notably, rare and desirable cards for many series can be graded by experts, which can increase their selling price by thousands of dollars if they are in good condition. In recent times, the demand for trading cards has also skyrocketed, especially for Pokemon.
Earlier this month, a single Flamin’ Hot Cheeto, shaped like the iconic Pokemon, Charizard, was also sold at a whopping price of Rs 77 lakh ($90,000) to an unnamed buyer at an auction.