Milan Poparić

Milan Poparić (born 1978/1979) is a Bosnian Serb criminal, primarily a jewel thief.[1] He is known for a dramatic escape from prison in July 2013. He has been identified by police as a member of a gang of jewel thieves called the Pink Panthers.[2]

Milan Poparić
Born1978 (age 42–43) or 1979 (age 41–42)
Bosnia
NationalityBosnian
AllegiancePink Panthers

Career

Poparić is a known member of the international gang of jewel thieves called the Pink Panthers, who were given that name after hiding a diamond in face cream, similar to a theft portrayed in the movie The Return of the Pink Panther.[3][4] The Pink Panthers have been said to have stolen around $436 million since 1999.[1]

Poparić was imprisoned for a sentence of six years and eight months in 2009 for the robbery of Swiss jewelry in the city of Neuchatel.[5] He was imprisoned in Orbe[1] but not in the high-security area; a communication officer in the prison said, "We were never told...that Poparic was a member of Pink Panther group"[6] and that had they known, he would have been kept in a different section.[6]

Escape

Poparić escaped with Adrian Albrecht, a Swiss man accused of robbery, arson, and money laundering.[1] The escape involved two accomplices outside of the prison who rammed the prison gate and subdued the guards by firing AK-47s.[1] Poparić and Albrecht then climbed over the barbed wire with ladders brought by the accomplices.[2] Poparić was the third member of the Pink Panthers to escape from a prison in Switzerland between May and July 2013, and his escape was described as having "resembled a scene out of a summer action film".[7]

References
  1. ""Pink Panther" jewel thief escapes Swiss prison". CBS News. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  2. Vandoorne, Saskya & Smith-Spark, Laura (26 July 2013). "'Pink Panther' escapes in armed Swiss prison break with fellow inmate". CNN. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  3. Allen, Peter (20 June 2009). "Three suspected Pink Panther gang members arrested in Monaco". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  4. "'Pink panther' jewel thief escapes Swiss jail". BBC News. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  5. Hartman, Ben (30 July 2013). "Paging Inspector Clouseau". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  6. Jovanovic, Dragana (26 July 2013). "'Pink Panther' Makes Spectacular Escape From Swiss Prison". ABC News. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  7. Schapiro, Rich (26 July 2013). "'Pink Panther' jewel thief escapes in dramatic prison break from Swiss jail". New York Daily News. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
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