Blade-wielding robbers steal $68K in Pokemon cards after tying victims to chairs

A couple of blade-wielding robbers are accused of stealing $68,000 in Pokemon and other trading cards from an office in Osaka, Japan.

Pokemon card-related crimes have become widespread in recent years with thieves snatching millions of dollars worth of collectibles in a number of high-profile heists.

The most recent story comes from the land of the rising sun, where a duo of robbers reportedly broke into an Osaka company that specializes in selling trading cards.

According to Sora News, on September 9 at 3:30 AM, two masked thieves entered the building after two workers had finished a livestream at the company and threatened the employees with bladed instruments.

Although the thieves didn’t know which cards were the most expensive, they allegedly tied the employees to their chairs and asked, “Which ones are da expensive ones, huh?” in a Kansai-accent.

The workers then directed the criminals to 100 cards that had a value of approximately 10 million yen, the equivalent of a whopping $68,000.

Despite telling the robbers which cards to take, the employees remained tied up with duct tape over their mouths for two hours before eventually breaking free and contacting the authorities.

The victims say the thieves dressed in black and wore masks and sunglasses to hide their identities. The suspects remain unknown and are still at large.

Police were also told that the men stole two smartphones and cash from the office.

This is hardly the first Pokemon card robbery and it likely won’t be the last. Earlier in 2024, thieves were caught on camera stealing 35,000 Pokemon cards. Additionally, a collector in Belgium was moved to tears when his $200,000 collection was stolen in a heist where the suspects made use of Wi-Fi jammers and headsets.

In another case from 2022, a 62-year-old’s $500,000 Pokemon card collection containing unopened boxes and valuable Japanese editions was taken from his home.