By DPA
Amsterdam : Dutch police said Wednesday that they had arrested a “virtual” thief, a 17-year-old who had stolen “furniture” with a combined value of 4,000 euros ($5,839) from an online hotel.
Habbo Hotel is an international teenage game and online community with an estimated 7 million members. Habbo Hotel has local communities in 31 countries and a yearly turnover of some 4 million euros ($5.84 million).
Habbo Hotel community members can create virtual characters, or Habbos. These characters can take their own rooms in the hotel, which they can subsequently decorate with their own furniture.
The furniture is purchased with special Habbo credits, paid for with real money.
Police said the suspect allegedly hacked the accounts of other Habbo community members. He then allegedly took their furniture and brought it to his own room.
It is the first time the Dutch police arrested someone on suspicion of having committed a virtual burglary.
Apart from the 17 year-old suspect, the police also interrogated four 15 year-old teenagers about the affair.
According to a police spokesman, the suspects will be charged on two accounts – hacking and burglary.