SYDNEY: An Australian man is about to seem in courtroom on Wednesday (Aug 7) after being arrested for the alleged theft of greater than A$600,000 (US$393,000) price of commemorative cash linked to the favored youngsters’s tv present Bluey, police mentioned.
The 47-year-old is accused of stealing 63,000 unreleased, limited-edition A$1 cash from a warehouse within the Sydney suburb of Wetherill Park in June, in response to “Strike Drive Bandit”, a particular unit police set as much as examine the theft.
Considered one of final yr’s most streamed tv reveals in america, the Australian animated present focused at youngsters is broadly beloved by adults and was the 14th highest-rated present of all time, the film tracker web site IMDB.com reveals.
The cash, produced by the Australian mint, are authorized tender and resemble common A$1 cash albeit with one face that includes the anthropomorphic canine character Bluey. Police say they’re promoting on-line for 10 occasions their face worth.
An identical run of particular commemorative cash sells for A$20 every on the mint’s web site – cash designed to be collectors’ gadgets solely and never authorized tender. One eBay vendor was charging virtually A$600 for a pack of three.
Detective Superintendent Joseph Doueihi informed reporters at a press convention he was not initially conscious of the present’s recognition.
“The theft of those cash have disadvantaged plenty of younger youngsters and members of the neighborhood from getting access to these cash, so we’re doing our best possible to attempt to recuperate these cash and put them again into circulation.”
Police mentioned the person labored on the warehouse the place the cash had been being saved for 2 days on their option to Brisbane.
They alleged he stole the cash, which weighed 500kg, from the again of a truck with the assistance of two male accomplices. The cash had been then bought on-line inside hours.
A raid on a Sydney home in June recovered 189 cash however Doueihi mentioned the huge bulk of cash are already in circulation. Those that have obtained one don’t have to give up it to police, he mentioned.
