Claire Wilson
A SUSPECTED member of the notorious Pink Panther jewel thief network has been arrested in Spain.
Borko Ilincic, 33, is accused of being involved in the spectacular 11m euros robbery of a jewellery store in Dubai in 2007.
Spanish police said he was arrested as he tried to leave a hotel in a Madrid suburb in a rental car.
He was carrying a false Bosnian passport, though police said his real nationality is Serbian.
The Pink Panthers are an international band of jewel thieves, many of whom hail from the Balkans, who are known for their daring robberies and burglaries.
Interpol says the gang has stolen over 330m euros of jewellery since 1999, and is linked to 340 robberies in 35 countries.
Many of the robberies took place in the French Riviera, but the gang has also struck as far away as Dubai, Tokyo, and London.
The Pink Panthers were given their name when police in London made an arrest in 2003, and found a diamond ring hidden in a jar of face cream – a ploy used in the original Pink Panther comedies starring Peter Sellers.
