Milan Poparić
Bosnian Serb criminal
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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 | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978 (age 47–48) or 1979 (age 46–47) |
| Allegiance | Pink 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 Neuchâtel.[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]