Labubu heist: Viral dolls worth ₹26L stolen from LA shop
What's the story
In a bizarre incident, a group of burglars broke into One Stop Sales in La Puente, Los Angeles County, and stole thousands of dollars worth of Labubu dolls. The store's co-owner Joanna Avendano estimated the loss to be around $30,000 (around ₹26.3 lakh) or more. "We worked so hard to get to this point, and for them to just come in and...take it all away...it's really bad," she said.
Targeted theft
Burglars might have been tipped off about restock
The burglars specifically targeted the Labubu dolls, leaving other merchandise untouched. Avendano suspected that the break-in was premeditated as she had seen a suspicious truck parked outside the store. She also believed that the burglars might have been monitoring their social media account which had announced a restock of Labubus.
Viral trend
Dolls are viral sensation
The Labubu dolls, which are exclusive to Pop Mart, have become a viral sensation this year. Celebrities like Rihanna and Lisa from Blackpink have been spotted with them, adding to their appeal. The dolls can cost up to $500 (around ₹44,000) each and are often resold for thousands of dollars due to high demand. This has also led to a black market for fake Labubus.
Investigation underway
Thieves used Toyota Tacoma for getting away
Security footage from One Stop Sales shows four individuals stealing several boxes of Labubu dolls. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to the burglary at 1:29am local time on Wednesday. They confirmed that "several boxes of Labubu dolls were stolen." The thieves used a Toyota Tacoma as a getaway vehicle, which was later recovered by deputies.