Defendants deny connection to the notorious Pink Panther gang

On the third day of the trial in Lugano against seven suspected jewel robbers, the defense lawyers denied that their clients were members of the gang. The Ticino public prosecutor's office, on the other hand, considers membership to be proven for some of the defendants.

In their pleadings, the defense lawyers tried to show that none of the seven defendants are members of the notorious Pink Panther gang. According to them, the robbery of a jewelry store in the heart of Lugano was an "isolated act" in which the members of the group "met" more or less by chance.

While the Ticino public prosecutor's office is convinced that the robbery was meticulously planned over the course of a year, the defense lawyers claimed that their clients had nothing to do with any preparation.

The Pink Panthers are a criminal organization from the Balkans that has been active internationally since 2006. They carry out meticulously prepared robberies of watch stores and jewelry stores in groups of different compositions.