'Pink Panther' Jewel Thief Makes Daring Prison Escape

Two inmates escaped from a Swiss prison last night, in a daring escape that police suspect was orchestrated by the Pink Panther gang. One of the two escapees, Milan Poparic, was a member of the international ring of jewel thieves, three of whose members have now broken out of Swiss prisons in as many months, the AFP reports. The other was convicted kidnapper, arsonist, and money-launderer Adrian Albrecht, himself a jailbreak veteran. Blick.ch noticed that the 52-year-old previously escaped from the same prison in 1992.

While the prisoners were in the yard for an exercise period, a pair of armed accomplices rammed a van into the prison gate and barbed wire. They then set up ladders to allow the escapees to climb over the prison fence, laying down a barrage of cover fire with automatic weapons. Finally, they set fire to the van and drove off in a separate vehicle. Amazingly, no one was hurt in the escape. (More Pink Panthers stories.)