INTERPOL HANDBOOK ON DNA DATA EXCHANGE AND PRACTICE

Analysis conducted at the INTERPOL General Secretariat in Lyon, France, immediatelyrevealed that two of the profiles sent by the United Arab Emirates matched those oftwo of the four men wanted by Liechtenstein for the robbery that had occurred on31 January 2006. One other profile matched a profile from an unknown individualcollected at the scene of an armed robbery committed at a jeweller’s on 22 April 2005in Switzerland and shared with INTERPOL by the Swiss Police.Further investigation conducted by INTERPOL in co-operation with several of itsmember countries revealed that all three individuals were part of an organized crimegroup, referred to as the Pink Panthers, which specializes in armed robberies of jewellersand which had already hit 17 countries in Europe and elsewhere.By using DNA evidence, the INTERPOL DNA Database and the investigative powersof the INTERPOL member countries, three members of this gang have already beenarrested and charged with numerous international offences, thus emphasizing theeffectiveness of this forensic tool and its use in the fight against cross-border crime.PAGE 10INTERPOL DNA UNITAND MONITORING EXPERT GROUP