Bulgarian authorities have arrested a suspected member of the “Pink Panthers” international jewel-theft network in connection with an armed robbery at a luxury resort in northern Greece last year in which nearly €580,000 worth of jewelry and watches was stolen, Greek police said on Tuesday.
The man, a 48-year-old Serbian national, was detained in Bulgaria on a European arrest warrant issued by Greek prosecutors following a months-long investigation by the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organized Crime in Northern Greece. A second suspect, a 46-year-old Serbian man, was arrested in Croatia on a related warrant.
The two men are accused of taking part in an armed raid on Sept. 2, 2025, at a jewelry store inside a hotel complex at the Sani Resort in Halkidiki, a popular tourist destination south of Thessaloniki. The heist, which lasted little more than a minute, netted luxury watches and jewelry valued at about €579,800.
Police said four members of the network travelled to Greece between Aug. 20 and Sept. 2 using forged identity documents, rented vehicles fitted with stolen licence plates and multiple reconnaissance visits to plan the attack. Two men allegedly entered the shop at around midday and threatened staff with a handgun while accomplices posed as customers and monitored the area.
The 48-year-old suspect, along with an unidentified accomplice, is accused of directly threatening two employees while seizing the valuables. The 46-year-old suspect and an unknown woman allegedly played supporting roles. The group allegedly used both electric scooters and vehicles to flee the scene.
Greek police said the 48-year-old has been registered in Switzerland in connection with previous burglaries, and investigators are probing possible links between the pair and similar armed robberies across Europe in 2024 and 2025.
Judicial authorities in Bulgaria and Croatia are now considering Greece’s request to extradite the suspects to stand trial.
Transnational jewel-theft network
The Pink Panthers — a loose network believed to consist largely of criminals from the Balkans — are suspected of dozens of high-value jewelry thefts across Europe, the Middle East and Asia over the past two decades.
They earned their nickname in 2003 after British police discovered a stolen blue diamond hidden inside a jar of face cream, echoing a scene from a “Pink Panther” film starring Peter Sellers.
Greek authorities said the Halkidiki robbery showed “a high degree of organisation, adaptability and evolving methods,” including the use of fake identities, surveillance of the target area and measures to hinder tracking by law-enforcement agencies.
Police said the suspected gang members remained in Greece only as long as necessary to prepare and execute the robbery, leaving shortly afterwards.
No trial dates have yet been set.
SOFIA/ATHENS, Jan 6 (Reuters) — Bulgarian authorities have arrested a suspected member of the “Pink Panthers” international jewel-theft network in connection with an armed robbery at a luxury resort in northern Greece last year in which nearly €580,000 worth of jewelry and watches was stolen, Greek police said on Tuesday.
The man, a 48-year-old Serbian national, was detained in Bulgaria on a European arrest warrant issued by Greek prosecutors following a months-long investigation by the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organized Crime in Northern Greece. A second suspect, a 46-year-old Serbian man, was arrested in Croatia on a related warrant.
The two men are accused of taking part in an armed raid on Sept. 2, 2025, at a jewelry store inside a hotel complex at the Sani Resort in Halkidiki, a popular tourist destination south of Thessaloniki. The heist, which lasted little more than a minute, netted luxury watches and jewelry valued at about €579,800.
Police said four members of the network travelled to Greece between Aug. 20 and Sept. 2 using forged identity documents, rented vehicles fitted with stolen licence plates and multiple reconnaissance visits to plan the attack. Two men allegedly entered the shop at around midday and threatened staff with a handgun while accomplices posed as customers and monitored the area.
The 48-year-old suspect, along with an unidentified accomplice, is accused of directly threatening two employees while seizing the valuables. The 46-year-old suspect and an unknown woman allegedly played supporting roles. The group allegedly used both electric scooters and vehicles to flee the scene.
Greek police said the 48-year-old has been registered in Switzerland in connection with previous burglaries, and investigators are probing possible links between the pair and similar armed robberies across Europe in 2024 and 2025.
Judicial authorities in Bulgaria and Croatia are now considering Greece’s request to extradite the suspects to stand trial.
Transnational jewel-theft network
The Pink Panthers — a loose network believed to consist largely of criminals from the Balkans — are suspected of dozens of high-value jewelry thefts across Europe, the Middle East and Asia over the past two decades.
They earned their nickname in 2003 after British police discovered a stolen blue diamond hidden inside a jar of face cream, echoing a scene from a “Pink Panther” film starring Peter Sellers.
Greek authorities said the Halkidiki robbery showed “a high degree of organisation, adaptability and evolving methods,” including the use of fake identities, surveillance of the target area and measures to hinder tracking by law-enforcement agencies.
Police said the suspected gang members remained in Greece only as long as necessary to prepare and execute the robbery, leaving shortly afterwards.