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Pokemon Go to jail - Frenchman nabbed hunting Pokemon on Indonesian military base

A Frenchman caught trespassing on a military base in Indonesia has said he was playing Pokemon Go, the popular smartphone game launched two weeks ago and already blamed for crimes, traffic violations and antisocial behaviour.

A Pidgey Pokemon on the screen of the Pokemon Go mobile app in Toronto, Canada
A Pidgey Pokemon on the screen of the Pokemon Go mobile app in Toronto, Canada Reuters/Chris Helgren
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Romain Pierre, a 27-year-old who was on business in the port city of Cirebon, strayed onto the high-security compound while on an evening run, West Java police said.

He was detained for several hours' questioning and told police he was hunting for Pokemons, the cartoon monsters that are overlaid on real locations on smartphones.

He was finally released in the early hours of Tuesday.

A local military spokesman urged the public to be vigilant, suggesting the game could serve as a front for criminal activity.

"It's possible there could be many strangers trying to enter private property to commit crimes, but then pretend to be hunting Pokemons," Mokhamad Desy Ariyanto told the AFP news agency.

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