'Pink Panther' jewel thief escapes from Swiss jail

ORBE, Switzerland, July 26 (UPI) -- Swiss police say they are seeking Milan Poparic, a member of the "Pink Panther" jewel thieves, who escaped from an Orbe, Switzerland, prison.

Poparic, a Bosnian national serving time for a 2009 robbery, is one of a group of largely Yugoslavian jewel thieves noted for its creative methods and named after the 1963 heist movie, "The Pink Panther."

Two accomplices used ladders, a van and automatic weapons fire to get Poparic and another prisoner out of the prison near the French border, Thursday, the BBC reported.

A prison spokesman told the Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve he was convinced the gang was involved in the breakout.