Two were investigated by the Property Crimes Department of Attica Security burglaries in jewelry stores in Athens with booty exceeding 315,000 euros, from two Serbs, 53 and 50 years old respectively, members of the international criminal organization “Pink Panthers”who were arrested and it is being examined whether they are also responsible for any other similar acts in our country.
As it emerged from months-long investigation of Security, the accused at least from December 2023, systematically committed thefts in jewelry stores in the center of Athens using the “rififi” method. From communication with the international prosecuting authorities and from their criminal past, it was ascertained that they were members of the wider transnational criminal group, with the code name “Pink Panthers”.
The Transnational Criminal Network in question has all the characteristics that distinguish them well-structured and highly active transnational criminal organizations and is according to the International and European Prosecuting Authorities (INTERPOL-EUROPOL) structured within the framework of the Transnational Criminal Groups and Organizations of the Balkan countries.
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The “Pink Panthers” in Greece
These groups consist of people who come from the countries of the former Yugoslav Republic of and present international action, targeting mainly jewelry stores, in which they commit either thefts or robberies, in different ways and methods depending on the skills, techniques and abilities of their members who are located like nuclei in each country.
These groups they usually operate in small autonomous operational cores in each country, in which only compatriots (Serbia, Montenegro, etc.) who have permanent residence in the country where the jewelry store is located participate. They are professional thugs, out of work and in all their attacks, they use autopsy and surveillance tactics of the store they have targeted even several days before the “hit”.
For their movements, they use forged or falsified documents, while traveling separately and in different ways to avoid the possibility of being arrested together. For road travel they use either vehicles with foreign license plates of different countries or vehicles of the respective country, which are registered in the names of other people, usually with a clean criminal record.
The members of the specific groups are usually people with a lot of experience in the specific activity internationally and people who have also concerned the international authorities.
As for their action, it is worth mentioning that they identified their target stores, carried out surveillance of them and then, drew up their plan of action in order to enter them and remove jewelry and gold. Then, apparently, they had the proper channeling network of the stolen items, reaping great financial benefit.
The approach to jewelry stores was made in the evening hours. In one case, moving pedestrians, while in the other, they approached the area with a car, which they parked several meters away, thus avoiding their connection with the car and their discovery.
The choice of jewelers was not accidental, since in both cases there was an empty – abandoned building right next to it, into which the perpetrators initially entered, thus avoiding being noticed by any person, since these were buildings in which there was no traffic.
The way they “knocked” at jewelry stores
A very basic characteristic of this particular group was the mode of burglary. In particular, individuals were breaking into jewelry stores using his method “riffy”, that is, opening a hole in the wall between the abandoned building and the jewelry store, through which they entered the store. Only one of the perpetrators, the 50-year-old man, entered the shops crawling initially on the floor, thus managing not to activate the alarm’s motion detectors and removing the jewelry-gold.
It is noted that in both cases, at the place adjacent to the jewelry shops where the perpetrators opened the hole, pieces of fabric were placed on the floor, apparently to minimize the noise from the pieces of the wall falling to the floor.
After completing their actions, they would emerge from the abandoned buildings and walk away, taking the bags of loot with them.
Characteristic of the attention they showed but also of the professionalism that distinguishes them, is the repeated sightings of target jewelers which they wanted to break into. In this way, they observed the conditions prevailing in the area thus minimizing the possibility of being noticed. Also, all their sightings took place at night when the shops were closed and commercial traffic was limited.
Burglary in the center of Athens
At noon on Wednesday (24/4), police officers from the Property Crimes Department spotted the perpetrators moving on Aristotelous Street in the area of the center of Athens and after declaring their status to them, they tried to carry out a police check.
Then the 53-year-old, disobeying the policemen’s orders, tried to escape, but stopped a few meters below. During his arrest, he strongly resisted by pushing the police officers, but he was arrested and taken to Security. The 50-year-old, when asked by the police about his details, showed an obviously fake driving license issued by the Croatian authorities, which bore his photo. He was also committed and taken to the headquarters of the Sub-Directorate for the Prosecution of Crimes against Life and Property.
So far from the investigation, it appears that the members of the criminal organization have committed burglaries using the “Rififi” method in a jewelry store on Kolokotroni Street in Athens, on December 29, 2023, from where they removed a large amount of jewelry and gold, the total value of which amounts to 169,000 euros and with the same method, in a jewelry store in Omonia, from where they removed a large amount of jewelry and gold, the total value of which is 169,000 euros value amounts to the monetary amount of 147,000 euros. In the video documents from the security cameras of the stores, their careful movements are recorded frame by frame.
It is mentioned that the defendants have repeatedly engaged the authorities for similar offences. They have served detention sentences in various establishments in our country and restrictive conditions have been imposed on them. The arrested persons were brought before the Criminal Enforcement Prosecutor of the Court of First Instance of Athens yesterday morning.
The official announcement of EL.AS.
An official announcement by the Police was also issued regarding the case, which states:
“Two foreigners, 50 and 53 years old, gang members were arrested, at noon on 4-24-2024, in the center of Athens, by police officers of the Property Crimes Prosecution Department of the Attica Security Directorate, and a case file was filed against them for – as the case may be – theft by accomplice, by continuation and by occupation, acceptance and disposal of proceeds of crime and dishonesty.
They are members of the wider transnational criminal group “Pink Panthers”, which presents international action, mainly targeting jewelry stores, in which they commit thefts or robberies, applying methodology and ways of acting according to the skills, techniques and abilities of their core members in each country.
As it emerged from the investigation, the defendants, at least since December 2023, had formed a gang and were committing thefts in jewelry stores using the “riff-raff” method.
They used forged or falsified documents, while driving vehicles that either had foreign license plates or were registered to people with a clean criminal record, in order to avoid detection.
In terms of their method of action, the defendants, after identifying their target stores, carried out surveillance of them and then drew up a relevant plan of action.
They moved on foot or by car, which they parked at a sufficient distance in order to avoid any connection with their criminal activity.
After the perpetrators gained access to adjacent abandoned-empty buildings, they opened a hole in the wall leading to the jewelry stores. In fact, they placed pieces of cloth on the floor in order to minimize any noise from the pieces of the wall that would fall.
The 50-year-old would enter the jewelry stores, creeping, so that the motion detectors would not be activated, and after removing the gold jewelry, he would return to the adjacent buildings and escape.
After searches of the property and their homes, among other things, a number of burglary tools, 3 watches, jewelry, 190 euros, a fake driver’s license, 3 mobile phones and their personal belongings were found and confiscated. In addition, a motorcycle and a car used for their transportation were confiscated.
From the preliminary investigation so far, two cases of burglaries in jewelry stores in the center of Athens have been solved, while the investigation to ascertain the full scope of their criminal activity continues. It is noted that the 53-year-old strongly resisted his arrest, while the defendants have in the past concerned the authorities for similar crimes. The arrested were taken to the competent Prosecutor”.
