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An Australian man has been charged after police shared that he allegedly stole dozens of Labubu dolls worth around A$9000 ($5,800, £4,400).
Victoria Police raided a property in Melbourne on Tuesday, October 21, seizing 43 of the dolls, some of which were limited edition and worth up to A$500 each.
Detectives revealed the monster toys were pocketed from a shopping centre during four separate robberies that have taken place since July.
The nine-toothed creature from Chinese firm Pop Mart became hugely popular around the globe, sparking long queues outside shops and fuelling massive profits for their maker.
In a press release entitled "These Labubu are not for you", Victoria Police said the 40 year-old man has since been charged with four counts of burglary and two counts of theft.
He was released on bail and will appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court in May next year.
Launched in 2019, Labubu dolls have helped Chinese retailer Pop Mart become a major retailer, operating more than 2,000 vending machines and stores around the world.
They initially became the pop culture phenomenon after several celebrities, including BLACKPINK's Lisa were spotted with a Labubu doll publicly.
Pop Mart's shares dipped in recent weeks over concerns raised by banking giant JPMorgan that it was overvalued.
However, with the latest report, it was revealed that due to mini versions of the Labubu dolls, Pop Mart's sales have once again seen a massive boost, resulting in its stock market value of about $4.4 billion.
