Armed members of the named Bosnian “Pink Panther” gang of jewel thieves broke a follower member, Milan Poparic, out of a Swiss prison this past Thursday.
The gang busted Poparic and another prisoner, 52 year old Adrian Albrecht, out of jail by ramming through a gate in two vehicles, hoisting up ladders for the prisoners and opening fire on the guards at Orbe prison, according to Reuters.
All of this occurred at 7:35 p.m. on Thursday night according to police, while the inmates had an exercise break outdoors.
Albrecht was convicted for kidnapping and serving a seven-year sentence, but this was his second break out from the facility. His first was back in 1992.
Poparic, was in the middle of a six-year sentence for robbing a Swiss jewelry store.
Poparic, 34, is the third member of the “Pink Panthers” to escape from the prison since May, according to NY Daily News.
The “Pink Panthers” first got their name after British police discovered a diamond ring that they stole in a tub of face cream, mimicking a scene from the 1963 comedy film, with the famous Inspector Clouseau. Since 1999, the gang has committed near 340 robberies on luxury stores in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States and stolen over 330 million euros - $436.77 million- worth of valuables.
Police estimate that there 40 core members of the gang, mostly from the Balkans, all prime suspects in thefts with elaborate schemes and quick, spectacular executions.