Police try to lure most wanted criminals with rare ‘Pokemon Go’ monster

Gotta catch ’em all! That’s one motto that doesn’t just apply to Pokemon Go. It also applies to police when it comes to criminals.

But it’s not always an easy feat. That’s why one police department in Manchester, New Hampshire, has decided to capitalize on the Pokemon Go craze by using a rare Pokemon species in an attempt to lure the city’s most wanted criminals.

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In a Facebook post, the police department said that a Charizard appears to be at their headquarters, a character deemed to be “ultra rare” by the virtual reality game-player community.

Turns out though that the “lucky ones” that appear on the list are actually the police department’s 500 most wanted criminals.

“Hurry before the Charizard leaves!” the post reads.

The Facebook post has gone viral with almost 40,000 likes, since it was published on Saturday. But a Manchester police sergeant said no criminals have passed by the station yet.

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Pokemon Go sends players into the real world to search for the mythical digital pocket monsters known as Pokemon, that appear onscreen when users hold up their smartphones in various locations at various times of the day.

The game has become one of the most popular apps in recent weeks, making headlines around the world.

— With files from the Canadian Press.