Pink Panther: the gang that put on the ears of Interpol. Photo

“The pink Panther” is not only a fictional story, but real jewelry theft.

When it comes to “the Pink Panther”, most recalls comedic detective story about a French police inspector Jacques Clouseau, who investigated the abduction of the largest diamond in the world. Also known as the cartoon of the same name. However, few people know that the name “Pink Panther” refers not only to fictional characters, but to the real criminals who are wanted by Interpol.

The name “Pink Panther” is an organized criminal group of thieves who spetsializiruyutsya on the theft of jewelry. Serbs living in the Balkans – Montenegro, Bosnia and Croatia. These thieves had done one of the biggest thefts in history.

Pink Panthers are suspected of committing the largest and most audacious thefts in history. The police assumes that this group is responsible for a jewelry theft in Dubai, Switzerland, Japan, France, Liechtenstein, Germany, Spain and Monaco. The total cost stolen – over 500 million US dollars. In addition, the members of the “Pink Panther” came under suspicion in a robbery of a jewelry store Harry Winston in Paris in 2008. Then thieves stole jewellery worth over 80 million euros.

Actor Peter sellers, who plays the French police inspector Jacques Clouseau.

The name “Pink Panther” was given to the gang after its members had managed to take from the London jewelry house diamond, the cost of which was estimated at 500 thousand pounds. During the abduction gem was hidden in a jar of face cream. The same technique was shown in one of the episodes of the film “Return of the pink Panther”, filmed in 1963. In the film, pink diamond with inclusions resembling a Panther, was hidden in a similar way.

Portrait Of Peter Sellers.

Gangsters from “the Pink Panther” have a good education, speak several languages and live on false passports. The number of members in the group – more than 150. Most of them never fell into the hands of the police, but a few were detained in France. Caught the criminals were found guilty of organizing armed raids on jewellery house in Cannes, Courchevel and Saint-Tropez in 2001 and 2003, then had stolen jewels worth of $ 5 million. USA.

Judge, impose the sentence, admitted: “We are dealing with hardened, professional offenders. They are almost all smart, but when a person is smart, why would he want to hunt for easy money?” Offenders received a term of imprisonment of 5, 6 and 10 years, and the organizer of the robbery – 15 years in prison in absentia, but now he is in hiding and is not serving a sentence.

The French police inspector Jacques Clouseau.

Each operation “Pink Panter” is left to chance. For one of the heists they painted a bench outside a jewelry store, at the right time there were no witnesses. In Saint-Tropez, the group was conducting surveillance of jewelry store, walking nearby in the vibrant tourist t-shirts, and after the robbery absconded on a motor boat. In one of the last eight members of the group staged accident, driving two limousine in the window of a luxury shopping Mall in Dubai. Just a minute, while everyone was in panic, the gang stole from the store of watches and jewellery of 11 million dollars.

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