Spain Arrests Pink Panther Jewelry Theft Suspect

Spanish police say they have arrested a suspected member of the notorious Pink Panther gang of jewelry thieves believed responsible for hundreds of robberies across the world.

Police said Thursday that Serbian Borko Ilincic, 33, was arrested in the central town of Alcala de Henares on Tuesday. He was carrying a false Bosnian passport. He was brought before a court Wednesday.

Interpol says Ilincic is a suspect in the 2007 Wafi Mall robbery in Dubai where the robbers made off with some 11 million euros ($15 million) in jewelry.

The Pink Panther group, named after the 1963 movie starring Peter Sellers, is believed to be a loose network of some 800 criminals, which Interpol suspects is behind nearly 300 robberies in 35 countries since 1999, stealing jewelry worth some 350 million euros.