349:, a diamond specialist in London, was targeted by Pink Panthers and lost a total of £1 million in jewellery. Three men were suspected of being behind the theft; one was in possession of a firearm. Graff had been targeted in 2002 and lost £23 million on that occasion, £3 million of which was recovered two years later. One of the thieves was sentenced to 15 years in prison in July 2004.
502:. Hadžiahmetović was due to serve a sentence in Cyprus for travelling on a forged passport before being extradited to Spain. He was extradited from Spain to Japan and, in September 2011, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. His accomplice, Radovan Jelušić, was arrested in Italy in 2010 over a separate crime, then was extradited to Montenegro to stand trial on 18 May 2012.
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One of the three arrested, Serbian Dragan Mikić, was of special interest to the police investigation into the gang, having been placed on
Interpol's "Most Wanted" list, suspected to be a senior member of the Pink Panthers. Mikić has been on the run since 2005, after breaking out of jail via a ladder
411:
through a window, taking watches and other items worth a total of £8 million. In a further robbery in
December 2008, four gang members dressed themselves up as women before breaking into Harry Winston jewellers in Paris. The gang escaped from the store with items worth over US$ 100 million (£60
524:
On 14 March 2012, three more members of the gang were arrested in Athens, Greece. Two of the three were male
Serbians, aged 20 and 36, and were arrested while casing a jewellery store. Patrolling police were prompted to question them due to their wearing wigs. The two men fled, the 36 year-old
395:
district. The first, in 2004, netted ¥3.5 million in gems. The second, in June 2007, took jewellery valued at ¥284 million; during the heist, Rifat Hadžiahmetović and
Radovan Jelušić sprayed tear gas at three saleswomen before taking a tiara, necklaces, and other jewels and fleeing the store.
567:
while they were preparing for a heist with munitions and two cars similar to those driven by security forces in
Croatia; three of the arrested were Serbs, two Bosnian, and one Montenegrin. Names of the arrested Serbs were Saša Antonić, Aleksandar Tasić and Dejan Kostić.
464:, worth approximately £15 million ($ 30 million), in March 2004 from a Tokyo jewellery boutique, in what was Japan's biggest ever jewel robbery. The gang leader was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment, while the other two were handed lesser sentences.
291:. The organization has roughly 800 core members, many of whom are ex-soldiers with extensive military and paramilitary backgrounds. Both women and men play an equal part in the structure of the organization. The organization's membership mostly consists of
316:
The Pink
Panthers are responsible for what have been termed some of the most "glamorous" heists in history, with one criminologist even describing their crimes as "artistry". They have operated in numerous countries and on several continents, and include
520:
A head figure of the Pink
Panthers, Mitar Marjanović, was arrested on 8 March 2012 in Rome, after two of his accomplices in a bank robbery, committed a month earlier, dropped stolen items containing Marjanovic's fingerprints.
536:, Switzerland. As of June 2021, he has not yet been caught. He escaped with the help of three outside accomplices who meticulously prepared the operation. Four other prisoners got away at the same time. On 25 July 2013,
540:, who was serving a sentence of almost seven years for a 2009 robbery at a jewellery store, was the third Pink Panther to escape from a Swiss prison since May 2013. Also escaping was Swiss kidnapper,
419:
in London a key element in the speculation being that the robbers made no attempt to hide their faces, suggesting that they had already altered their appearances with prosthetic makeup.
513:. The gang members drove up outside a casino in Casino Square on 18 June 2009. The men were told to lie down and were then handcuffed before being whisked away from the scene quickly.
525:
suspect firing at and injuring a police officer during the pursuit that followed. Both were arrested and led police to the arrest of the third person, 43 year-old
Serbian female
529:. On 12 July 2012, Olivera escaped from prison in Athens when a man who entered the prison on the pretext of delivering art supplies knocked out a guard and stole her keys.
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552:, in western Switzerland, by accomplices who broke through the perimeter fence and brought ladders for the escapees while keeping the prison guards at bay with fire from
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in 2005 wearing T-shirts emblazoned with flowery designs, before making their escape on a speedboat. Prior to one 2008 robbery of Graff jewellers in
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have all been targeted by the gang, with the attention to detail of the heists ensuring a high rate of success. Before robbing a jewellery store in
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In 2003, the gang first came to attention and earned the nickname "Pink
Panthers" following the theft of a £500,000 diamond from a jewellers in the
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on suspicion of being part of the gang; in
October 2007, they were sentenced to jail terms by a court in Serbia for the theft of the
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The gang is also known for its escapes and its attempts to break into their chosen store. The gang robbed a jewellery store in
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and made off with $ 136 million worth of jewels and jewellery being stored by the Leviev diamond house for an exhibit.
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In 2013, the gang was suspected to have struck again when a man wearing a baseball cap and a scarf covering his face
440:, a leading newspaper in the region, speculated that this may have been the most costly jewellery theft in history.
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388:, the gang covered a nearby bench in fresh paint to deter anyone from sitting on it and seeing them in action.
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Speculation also exists as to certain other robberies having been conducted by the gang; in the August 2009
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In the space of six years during the 21st century, the Pink Panthers robbed 120 stores in 20 countries.
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area of London. The thieves hid the diamond in a jar of face cream, mimicking an act seen in the film
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veterans making use of their military experience for criminal activity. The organization was named by
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The gang is suspected of participating in at least two smash-and-grab jewellery robberies in Tokyo's
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1271:"ONI SU POKUŠALI PLJAČKU VEKA U HRVATSKOJ: Objavljena imena Srba koji su uhapšeni u Zagrebu!"
321:'s most successful robbery amongst their thefts. A film documentary based upon their thefts,
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Three Pink Panthers from Serbia were declared guilty of robberies carried out in Biarritz,
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This article is about the organized crime network. For the series of comedy films, see
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Montenegrin national named Rifat Hadžiahmetović, who had been travelling on a forged
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886:"Graff Jewel Heist, Were Pink Panthers Thieves Behind Record-Breaking Gem Robbery?"
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detained another three members of the gang seen loitering near jewellery shops in
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1245:"Andrija Jarak otkriva pozadinu djelovanja zloglasne bande razbijene u Zagrebu"
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On 14 May 2013, a member of the gang escaped from the "Bois-Mermet" prison in
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matching. In 2005, three Serbs, two men and one woman, were arrested in
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are an international jewel thief network responsible for a number of
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909:"$ 136 million French Riviera jewel heist may be biggest in history"
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1324:"The Pink Panthers: A tale of diamonds, thieves, and the Balkans"
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866:'Pink Panther' to face trial in Montenegro over 2007 Ginza heist
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725:"A Look Inside The Crimes Of The World's Most Powerful Thieves"
660:"Balkans' Pink Panther jewel thieves smash their way into myth"
609:"Three suspected Pink Panther gang members arrested in Monaco"
453:
687:"Pink Panthers: Daring heists rake in half-a-billion dollars"
1304:"Pink Panther thief among escapees in dramatic prison break"
1153:"Rome: Mitar Marjanović arrested as a "Pink Panther" leader"
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described as some of the most audacious in the history of
479:
in 2008. Two were given jail terms of six and 10 years.
1197:""Pink Panther" Female Prisoner Vanishes into Thin Air"
1175:"Two members of the "Pink Panthers" arrested in Athens"
1075:"'Pink Panther' fugitive in Tokyo jail for Ginza heist"
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Adrian Albrecht. They were helped out of the prison at
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whilst other people fired machine guns at the prison.
937:"Interpol closing in on 'Pink Panther' jewel thieves"
706:"Pink Panthers: Europe's mysterious gang of thieves"
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1047:"'Pink Panther' suspect to serve Cyprus jail term"
638:"The Band of Jewel Thieves Who Robbed for Revenge"
1346:"Infamous International: The Pink Panthers Story"
1222:""Pink Panther" jewel thief escapes Swiss prison"
1131:"Serbian Pink Panthers gang's 'brain' arrested"
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1055:. London, UK. Associated Press. 21 April 2009
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494:passport, was arrested in March 2009 by
991:"'Pink Panther' suspect held in Cyprus"
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1344:Natalia Antelava (14 September 2023).
41:
939:. Arabianbusiness.com. Archived from
559:On 3 June 2015, six were arrested in
407:, eight gang members drove a pair of
7:
884:Treptow, Cornelia (14 August 2009).
653:
651:
968:"Serbs guilty of Japan jewel heist"
778:"Jewellers hit again in '£1m raid'"
658:Fleishman, Jeffrey (29 July 2009).
735:from the original on 12 June 2021.
505:On 20 June 2009, French police in
212:Operations against organized crime
14:
1133:. Focus News Agency. 8 March 2012
1019:"Inspector Clouseau gets his man"
989:Seward, Deborah (28 March 2009).
834:"'Jewel gangster' held in Monaco"
803:"Gems robber jailed for 15 years"
475:and Saint-Tropez by one court in
299:citizens, who are believed to be
25:The Pink Panther (disambiguation)
16:International jewel thief network
1376:Organized crime groups in Europe
1103:"Pink Panther arrests in Monaco"
907:Williams, Carol (29 July 2013).
704:Chiu, Richard (15 August 2019).
327:, was released on 2 July 2013.
1243:Jarak, Andrija (3 June 2015).
1155:. Novosti online. 8 March 2012
723:Cuffin, Eddie (26 June 2012).
342:The Return of the Pink Panther
313:series of crime comedy films.
1:
1083:. Japan Times. 15 August 2010
607:Allen, Peter (20 June 2009).
500:Larnaca International Airport
109:possession of stolen property
462:Comtesse de Vendome necklace
482:One suspect in a June 2007
1402:
29:
18:
1277:(in Serbian). 4 June 2015
417:robbery of Graff Diamonds
1348:(Podcast). Exactly Right
1027:. Reuters. 28 March 2009
30:Not to be confused with
142:Serbian organized crime
1177:. in.gr. 14 March 2012
1108:The New Zealand Herald
527:Olivera Vasić Ćirković
148:Organized crime groups
56:Founding location
23:. For other uses, see
970:. BBC. 2 October 2007
444:Arrests and breakouts
39:Criminal organization
1300:Agence France-Presse
858:Agence France-Presse
710:jewellermagazine.com
378:United Arab Emirates
198:Outside the Balkans:
874:, 21 May 2012, p. 1
836:. BBC. 20 June 2009
805:. BBC. 21 July 2004
748:"The Pink Panthers"
614:The Daily Telegraph
93:Criminal activities
44:
780:. BBC. 28 May 2005
121:YACS Crime Group,
1381:Serbian criminals
1201:greekreporter.com
943:on 20 August 2010
914:Los Angeles Times
693:. 31 August 2014.
665:Los Angeles Times
486:heist, an ethnic
273:
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137:
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70:Years active
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1322:Samuels, David.
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324:Smash & Grab
310:The Pink Panther
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225:Operation Morava
220:Operation Sablja
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21:The Pink Panther
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1302:(14 May 2013).
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1293:Further reading
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345:. In May 2005,
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289:organized crime
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156:Belgrade gangs:
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1371:Jewel thieves
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127:Italian Mafia
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123:Russian Mafia
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119:Serbian Mafia
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43:Pink Panthers
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1350:. Retrieved
1333:. Retrieved
1327:
1311:. Retrieved
1307:
1279:. Retrieved
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1253:. Retrieved
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1226:. Retrieved
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1206:27 September
1204:. Retrieved
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999:. London, UK
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972:. Retrieved
947:19 September
945:. Retrieved
941:the original
930:
918:. Retrieved
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892:19 September
890:. Retrieved
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807:. Retrieved
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671:19 September
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619:. Retrieved
617:. London, UK
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167:New Belgrade
155:
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87:Montenegrins
73:2001–present
51:Dragan Mikić
36:
1275:telegraf.rs
1080:Japan Times
871:Japan Times
507:Monte Carlo
374:Switzerland
301:Bosnian War
297:Montenegrin
1365:Categories
1249:dnevnik.hr
1224:. CBS News
862:Jiji Press
572:References
498:police at
473:Courchevel
437:Nice-Matin
424:broke into
412:million).
48:Founded by
1087:14 August
492:Bulgarian
281:robberies
101:art theft
81:Majority
78:Ethnicity
1352:5 August
1335:16 April
1313:16 April
1181:14 March
1159:14 March
1137:14 March
1059:21 April
1031:28 March
1003:28 March
920:19 April
757:9 August
733:Archived
542:arsonist
534:Lausanne
477:Chambéry
458:Belgrade
450:Interpol
386:Biarritz
380:and the
305:Interpol
233:See also
177:Zvezdara
172:Voždovac
105:burglary
83:Serbians
60:Belgrade
1281:24 June
1255:24 June
1228:26 July
1115:22 June
974:20 June
840:20 June
809:20 June
784:20 June
621:22 June
565:Croatia
496:Cypriot
488:Bosniak
362:Denmark
337:Mayfair
293:Serbian
192:Belivuk
97:Robbery
561:Zagreb
554:AK-47s
511:Monaco
469:Cannes
432:Cannes
376:, the
370:France
366:Monaco
307:after
285:thefts
182:Surčin
115:Allies
64:Serbia
484:Ginza
409:Audis
405:Dubai
393:Ginza
354:Japan
347:Graff
331:Raids
319:Japan
187:Šarić
162:Zemun
1354:2024
1337:2015
1315:2015
1283:2021
1257:2021
1230:2013
1208:2020
1183:2012
1161:2012
1139:2012
1117:2009
1089:2010
1061:2009
1033:2009
1005:2009
976:2009
949:2013
922:2015
894:2013
842:2009
811:2009
786:2009
759:2021
673:2013
623:2009
550:Orbe
544:and
426:the
295:and
283:and
275:The
85:and
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864:, "
454:DNA
430:in
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