S’pore-based Japanese Teen Loses $1K Worth Of Pokémon Cards At Bishan Card Show; Bag Allegedly Taken By Woman

More than a month after his bag containing S$1,000 worth of Pokémon cards was allegedly stolen at a card show at Junction 8 in Bishan, a 15-year-old teen is still determined to get it back.

He's even created an Instagram account, @looking.for.stolenbag, dedicated to finding it.

"I'm looking for the person in my pfp [profile picture], was at a Bishan card show and they stole my bag. Contacted the police but they couldn't help. Any info helps," reads his Instagram bio.

The teen, a Japanese student in Singapore who declined to be named, told 8days.sg that the incident happened at around 4.30pm on Oct 9.

He had placed his black sling bag, which had a brown strap and a white Totoro keychain, on the floor while making a deal with a vendor, as his shoulder was tired from carrying it.

He then left with his friends for about three minutes to buy trading card packs for a "pack battle".

When he returned, the bag was gone.

Inside were his student EZ-Link card, water bottle and a binder containing around S$1,000 worth of Pokémon cards he'd spent four years collecting since Primary 5.

CCTV footage shared by the teen shows him, dressed in a blue tee, placing his bag on the floor. A couple then appear to notice the bag before the woman with reddish hair moves it, picks it up and walks away.

The teen also highlighted what appeared to be his white Totoro keychain dangling from the bag.

He told 8days.sg that he and his friends managed to locate the couple shortly after the incident, after reviewing footage from a vendor's camera.

However, the footage was unclear, and he wasn't certain at the time whether they had taken his bag.

He said the couple acted as though they knew nothing about it. He checked the man's bag but not the woman's, as she appeared unwilling to let him do so.

The teen called the police immediately and lodged a report when officers arrived.

According to him, the police were unable to trace the couple due to blind spots in the CCTV footage.

About two weeks ago, he was informed that the case had been closed as the couple could not be located.

Frustrated, he created the Instagram account to appeal for information, sharing CCTV footage and pictures of the couple.

He also tried contacting several accounts claiming to know the couple, only to discover they were bots.

Meanwhile, his post has sparked a debate among netizens, with some blaming him for leaving his belongings unattended.

In response to the criticism, the teen wrote: "I do still blame myself for placing them down and leaving but did I trust Singapore too much?"

Speaking to 8days.sg, he admitted regretting his decision, though he explained that his shoulder was tired and he expected to return shortly.

"Ultimately I still do think that it was my fault for leaving my bag," he said.