A man in Singapore was arrested after police found him with 500 stolen Pokémon cards

• A man in Singapore was caught with around 500 stolen Pokémon cards, local police said on Monday.
• He's suspected of pinching them from four different stores across the country, per police.

A 22-year-old man was arrested in Singapore after local police found him with around 500 stolen Pokémon cards.

Police said the man, who was not named, is suspected of pilfering the cards from four stores across the city-state in May. He was caught on May 9 after he returned to one of the stores.

"The man was found in possession of an opened box of Pokemon cards that did not belong to him," the Singapore Police Force said in a Facebook post on Monday.

The other Pokémon cards were stolen on May 2, 4, and 8, police added.

Authorities managed to link the man to the other three incidents through surveillance footage and speaking to witnesses, the post said. He was charged on Tuesday with theft.

The police uploaded four photos of the cards, though they did not mention the total value of the stolen items.

The Singapore Police Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Collectibles such as Pokémon trading cards have seen a surge in value since the COVID-19 pandemic, with rare, mint-condition cards selling for millions. Logan Paul bought the most expensive card Pokémon ever sold at $5.275 million in April 2022, per the Guinness World Records.

The sports memorabilia market has also been on the upswing. In September, Michael Jordan's "Last Dance" jersey was auctioned off for a record-breaking $10.1 million, and the player's shoes also sold for a record $2.2 million.