'Somebody Stole My Pokemon:' Pokemon Go Player Calls British Police Over Missing Cartoon Monster

Advertisement
By Melissa Etehad, The Washington Post | Updated: 19 July 2016 19:12 IST

It didn't take long for Pokemon Go to cause a stir in Britain. The augmented reality game, which allows users to catch cartoon-like creatures, has people across the pond hooked -- much like the rest of the world. But perhaps some are taking their search for the game's fictional beasts a bit too literally.

The day after the mobile game was released in Britain, a Pokemon Go player in Gloucestershire placed an emergency call to 999 over a dispute regarding stolen Pokemon.

(Also see:  Pokemon Go Review)

"Somebody stole my Pokemon," the gamer told Gloucestershire police. The operator on the other side was not impressed and hung up the phone, but not before chastising the caller, "You do realize you're stopping someone with a life or death emergency because of a Pokemon?"

Advertisement

The emergency call highlights just how crazed fans have become since Pokemon Go was officially released in Britain on Thursday.

Advertisement

It still isn't clear what the caller meant when he said his Pokemon was "stolen." The game allows users who are near one another to catch the same Pokemon, so, technically, it isn't possible to steal the digital animations. And according to local media, police haven't elaborated on the situation.

(Also see:  How to Download Pokemon Go APK, Install, and Play on Android)

But Gloucestershire isn't the only place in Britain where Pokemon Go users are getting a bit too obsessed. Last week in Wiltshire, a group of teenage boys had to be rescued from a cave after getting stuck searching for Pokemon, the BBC reported. They were rescued from the 100-feet-below-ground cave after they managed to find an "open-air part of the rock" and got a phone signal to call for help.

Advertisement

And in Hulme, Manchester, police said three students' phones were stolen at knifepoint while they were playing Pokemon Go in a park. Police urged parents to caution their kids, citing similar cases in the United States. "There have already been incidents in America where young people are thought to have been targeted through the app," Detective Superintendent Joanne Rawlinson told the BBC. "I would urge parents to speak to their children about the app and the best ways to make sure they stay safe."

Advertisement

(Also see:  Pokemon Go to Launch in Roughly 200 Markets 'Relatively Soon')

But the game, which encourages people to explore the outdoors, has also opened up the possibility of people doing some good. When some gamers were playing Pokemon Go in South Yorkshire on Sunday, they came across a burglary and alerted police.

After the incident in Gloucestershire, police have been using Twitter to provide safety tips to Pokemon Go gamers.

The safety concerns have hardly dented the popularity of the game, though. According to local media, fans in Gloucestershire have set up a Facebook group to discuss tips on where to catch the animated monsters.

© 2016 The Washington Post
 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Here's How Much the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold May Cost in India
  2. Nothing Phone 3a Community Edition Will Launch on This Date
  3. Red Dead Redemption Comes to Android and iOS via Netflix Games
  4. Motorola Edge 70 India Launch Date Leaked; Might Arrive With Bigger Battery
  5. iPhone 16 Price Drops Under Rs. 63,000 on Croma With Bank Discounts
  6. OnePlus Ace 6T With Massive 8,300mAh Battery Launched at This Price
  1. Realme P4x 5G Launching Today: Know Price in India, Features, Specifications and More
  2. Pariah OTT Release: Vikram Chatterjee’s Heart-Wrenching Stray Dog Thriller Set for OTT Debut
  3. Dies Irae OTT Release: When, Where to Watch Pranav Mohanlal's Malayalam Horror Thriller Online
  4. A Nearby Planet May Have Formed the Moon Following a Collision With Early Earth: Study
  5. Netflix’s Gritty Frontier Drama The Abandons to Begin Streaming Soon: All You Need to Know
  6. Superman OTT Release Date Announced: Everything You Need to Know About Clark Kent's Latest Adventure
  7. International Space Station Makes History As Eight Visiting Spacecraft Simultaneously Dock
  8. Dulquer Salmaan’s Kaantha Set for OTT Debut: When and Where to Watch 1950's Period Drama Online?
  9. Motorola Edge 70 India Launch Date Leaked; Indian Variant Said to Feature Bigger Battery, Slim Design
  10. SpaceX Adds 29 New Starlink Satellites in Successful Falcon 9 Launch
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.