Post by Clouseau on Aug 18, 2007 3:24:02 GMT
www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070818TDY02003.htm
French link to spray used in heist
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Tear gas sprayed by two thieves during a June heist in Ginza, Tokyo, that netted jewelry worth 280 million yen was purchased two years ago at a military surplus store in Marseille, France, it has been learned.
The spray is treated as an item under embargo, and apparently was wrapped in black vinyl tape when smuggled into Japan to avoid detection by airport security, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
The thieves are believed to be members of a Europe-based crime ring known as the Pink Panther.
The MPD suspects the syndicate has a base in the southern French city.
According to the MPD, the two thieves entered the Exelco Diamond Tokyo store in Ginza at about 5 p.m. on June 14, and one sprayed tear gas at a clerk. They pried open two showcases and stole a tiara and a necklace.
A 25-centimeter-tall spray can swathed in black vinyl tape was found on a street about 400 meters from the store. The label under the tape said the product was made in France.
The tear gas is widely available in France for use as a deterrent against animals, such as dogs. However, the spray is prohibited from being exported or taken out of France.
After contacting the French police via Interpol, the MPD traced the can's serial number and other information to a spray sold at a military surplus shop in Marseille about two years ago.
Although the police have been unable to identify who bought the spray, it apparently had been used before the June heist. Consequently, the MPD suspect the thieves resided in Marseille for some time.
The MPD also believes the thieves used a bicycle found near the can to reach a getaway car parked some distance from the crime scene.
The MPD suspects the pair headed to Narita Airport and left Japan immediately after the robbery.
The thieves' modus operandi has led investigators to believe they are members of the Pink Panther crime group that has robbed many jewelry shops in Europe since 2002.
European police named the crime ring after the Pink Panther series of comedy films.
(Aug. 18, 2007)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
Tear gas sprayed by two thieves during a June heist in Ginza, Tokyo, that netted jewelry worth 280 million yen was purchased two years ago at a military surplus store in Marseille, France, it has been learned.
The spray is treated as an item under embargo, and apparently was wrapped in black vinyl tape when smuggled into Japan to avoid detection by airport security, the Metropolitan Police Department said.
The thieves are believed to be members of a Europe-based crime ring known as the Pink Panther.
The MPD suspects the syndicate has a base in the southern French city.
According to the MPD, the two thieves entered the Exelco Diamond Tokyo store in Ginza at about 5 p.m. on June 14, and one sprayed tear gas at a clerk. They pried open two showcases and stole a tiara and a necklace.
A 25-centimeter-tall spray can swathed in black vinyl tape was found on a street about 400 meters from the store. The label under the tape said the product was made in France.
The tear gas is widely available in France for use as a deterrent against animals, such as dogs. However, the spray is prohibited from being exported or taken out of France.
After contacting the French police via Interpol, the MPD traced the can's serial number and other information to a spray sold at a military surplus shop in Marseille about two years ago.
Although the police have been unable to identify who bought the spray, it apparently had been used before the June heist. Consequently, the MPD suspect the thieves resided in Marseille for some time.
The MPD also believes the thieves used a bicycle found near the can to reach a getaway car parked some distance from the crime scene.
The MPD suspects the pair headed to Narita Airport and left Japan immediately after the robbery.
The thieves' modus operandi has led investigators to believe they are members of the Pink Panther crime group that has robbed many jewelry shops in Europe since 2002.
European police named the crime ring after the Pink Panther series of comedy films.
(Aug. 18, 2007)