Police searching for suspect in Southborough comic book heist

A man captured in surveillance footage from The Time Capsule in Cranston, R.I., was believed to be selling a comic book stolen from The Hall of Comics in Southborough. Southborough Police Department

Police are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect or suspects who stole as much as $20,000 in comics from a Southborough comic book store last month.

The robbery occurred at The Hall of Comics at 3 Turnpike Road on Nov. 27 around 12:15 a.m., Southborough police said in a statement. Around 175 comics with a total value of $15,000 to $20,000 were stolen, police said.

“Not the best way to start the week after a long holiday weekend as The Hall was broken into and visited last night by a thieving Grinch (or Grinches),” The Hall of Comics said in a Facebook post. “Fortunately, we keep very good inventory records and some of the items that were taken are quite unique and thus will be easier to track down.”

Following the Southborough robbery, police released the image of a man taken from surveillance footage at The Time Capsule, a comic book shop in Cranston, R.I., the day after the Southborough incident. Police believe the man was selling a book that was stolen from The Hall of Comics, and are asking for the public’s help in identifying him.

The Hall of Comics said its security cameras were also running at the time of the robbery, although no images were released.

Southborough police Detective Keith Nichols said the footage taken from the store was not conclusive enough to identify the thief, and suggested “the possibility of another suspect” in addition to the man sighted in Cranston.

In a Nov. 27 Facebook post, The Hall of Comics said that The Time Capsule had also been “victimized themselves not a week ago.”

Nichols also noted that The Time Capsule had been robbed shortly before The Hall of Comics, and said the sizeable comic book theft was unique.

“This is a first,” he said. “It’s pretty uncommon, with something like that. There’s certainly value in the comics though, that’s for sure.”

Anyone with information on the suspect or suspects can contact Southborough police at 508-485-2121.