A 35-year-old man has been charged after allegedly stealing highly sought after Pokémon cards worth more than $2200 from a store in Taupō.
In a statement, a police spokesperson said officers were called to a reported break-in at a store on Tūwharetoa St shortly before 10pm yesterday.
“The offender smashed a glass panel to gain entry and placed Pokémon trading cards, worth more than $2200, into bags.
“A member of the public saw the suspicious activity and — prepared for trouble — called police while taking video of a suspect walking away.”
Officers then tracked the suspected offender to a nearby bar, where he was taken into custody and the cards recovered.
The man was also a suspect in an incident on November 9, when Pokémon cards worth more than $500 were taken from the same store.
Those cards have not been recovered.
A 35-year-old man has been charged with burglary, shoplifting and resisting police.
He was due to appear in the Taupō District Court today.
