Gravediggers desecrated Belgrade cemetery, three arrested
Police arrested three cemetery workers suspected of breaking into tombs at Belgrade's Mokroluk cemetery for years and stripping gold jewelry from the deceased, which they resold to jewelers.
- Three men, aged 26, 21 and 43, all employed as gravediggers at Belgrade's Mokroluk cemetery, were arrested.
- They are suspected of descending into tombs at night, opening caskets and stripping gold jewelry from the deceased.
- More than 35 tombs were damaged and desecrated, with the gold allegedly resold to local jewelers.
- Between June 21 and July 7, police processed a total of 13 cases of tomb damage at the same cemetery.
Police have arrested three gravediggers employed at the Mokroluk cemetery in the Mali Mokri Lug neighborhood of Belgrade. They are accused of breaking into tombs over an extended period and removing gold jewelry and other valuables from the bodies of the deceased. The men, identified only by their initials and ages of 26, 21 and 43, now face criminal charges.
According to police, the suspects worked at night, when no visitors are present at the cemetery. They allegedly descended into tombs, opened caskets and took rings, chains and other gold objects from the deceased. The stolen gold was reportedly resold to jewelers across the city. None of them has yet been found guilty by a final court ruling.
How they went unnoticed
The reason they were not discovered for so long, according to unofficial information, lies in the job itself. As employed gravediggers they had free and legitimate access to every part of the cemetery. Their presence among the tombs, day and night, raised no suspicion. The tools they used to open the graves were part of their ordinary equipment.
As a result, the damage mounted for months. So far it has been established that more than 35 tombs were damaged and desecrated. Between June 21 and July 7, police processed a total of 13 separate cases of tomb damage at the same cemetery. Only after linking those reports did the investigation turn toward the people who work there.
For the families of the deceased, the news lands in a particular way. This is a place regarded as inviolable, the final resting place of loved ones. Many relatives now visit the graves in fear and outrage, unsure whether their own family plot is among those damaged. Some will ask the authorities to establish a full list of the desecrated tombs.
What comes next in the investigation
After the arrests, the focus of the investigation shifts to the scale and duration of the crime. Prosecutors will have to establish the exact number of damaged tombs, the value of the stolen jewelry and the resale chain. In cases like this, records from the jewelers who bought the gold, along with any traces left on the tombs, are decisive.
The cemetery management will face questions about oversight. How is it possible that dozens of tombs were broken into over months, at a single cemetery, without anyone noticing until the thirteenth report. Part of the answer is that the suspects were precisely the people expected to protect the cemetery, not to plunder it.
For now, a series of questions remains open. How many tombs were truly desecrated, how much gold was taken, and whether buyers were part of the chain. Do you think Belgrade’s cemeteries have enough oversight to keep desecration like this from going unnoticed for months?
