ink Panther member jailed for Dh14.7m Dubai heist

Dubai - The 34-year-old Serbian is the third gang member to stand trial in Dubai in connection with the sensational heist.

A member of a gang internationally known as Pink Panther was sentenced to 10 years in jail on Wednesday by the Dubai Court of First Instance over the 'bold' heist at a jewellery shop in Wafi Mall on April 15, 2007.

The 34-year-old Serbian is the third 'Pink Panther' to stand trial in Dubai in connection with the sensational heist.

The group of armed robbers drove two stolen Audi A8s through the glass façade at the mall before stopping at the House of Graff and getting away with jewellery and watches worth Dh14.7 million in front of stunned shoppers.

The Pink Panther gang is a loosely aligned network of criminals who targeted high-end jewellery stores between 1999 and 2015.

The accused committed many robberies across Europe, including Monaco and Switzerland.

Interesting facts about the case> The Dh14.7 million Wafi Mall heist was carried out in less than a minute

> Dubai Police's investigation into the case helped Interpol identify the gang's modus operandi

> The heist car was put on show at the Dubai Police Museum in 2013 to "reflect the police's ingenious work in cracking the case"

> A 2013 film documentary called "Smash and Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers" chronicles some of the gang's exploits and the efforts of law enforcement agencies - including Dubai Police - to bring them to justice

> The gang is believed to have carried out around 380 armed robberies targeting high-end jewellery stores between 1999 and 2015

> The combined value of the thefts is estimated to be over Dh334 million

He was arrested by the Spanish authorities in February 2014 and handed over to the UAE authorities in October 2015. Apart from the armed robbery charge, He is also accused of obtaining an entry permit with a forged passport and illegally entering and exiting the country.

It was learned that the defendant entered the UAE with a forged Yugoslav passport on March 24, 2007, and exited on April 17, 2007.

During that time, he stayed with a Bosnian accomplice (a runaway) in a flat in Al Rafaa. The building watchman identified them when he saw their photos.

The court ordered that the defendant be deported after completing his jail term. The verdict may be appealed.

A police lieutenant said: "We learnt that an employee at a rental car office received an international call from one of the gang members, telling him not to report to the police about the car they had rented. He said they still needed it and promised to settle the rent due on it."

It was a very useful tip for the Dubai Police. They found the rented car about 500 metres away from the defendant's flat. The police watched the car until an Eastern European man (against whom no charges were filed) went to drive it. He told the police it was rented by one of the runaway suspects.

One of the gang members had earlier been convicted by a Dubai court and sentenced to 10 years in jail for arranging for the crime tools, including masks and gloves. Another accomplice had been cleared of the charge of possessing a part of the stolen items.

A police lieutenant said: "The accused on trial was arrested by the Interpol after DNA traces (picked up from the robbery scene) matched with the samples saved in the Interpol's database."

The Pink Panthers story

According to the defendant on trial, the gang got its name based on a "true story" that took place in France a long time ago.

The gang stole a diamond from a jewellery exhibition and smuggled it out of the airport in a cosmetic box. One of the gang members was wearing pink clothes.

• Dubai