The statuesque blondes who entered Harry Winston’s tony gem store in Paris just before closing did not take long to make their decision. They pulled a hand grenade and a .357 Magnum from a suitcase and in less than 15 minutes had made off with $105 million in jewels. The dashing dames—in fact four men in drag—are suspected of being part of the Pink Panthers, a group of super-thieves that have struck all across the world, including daring heists in Dubai, Switzerland, Japan, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, and Monaco. "That cool cleverness, boldness and speed are the hallmarks of the ultra lux robberies, which lead investigators to speculate that the Pink Panthers are casting for ideas from the crème de la crème of movie thieves," reports The New York Times. The group is believed to be ex-soldiers from Serbia, a theory supported by the escape from prison of their ringleader, Dragan Mikic, while his gang attacked the jail compound with machine guns. The gang is known for meticulously staking out and planning their crimes and has spawned an interesting sideline: candid movies. A daring daylight robbery in Dubai was captured by security cameras and has gone on to become a viral hit on YouTube.
Read it at The New York Times
