Karaburma Murder: Money From the Safe Becomes Evidence
Police have reconstructed where the cash from a safe in Karaburma ended up. Two suspects bought a Volkswagen right after the killing, and the rest turned up in a green bag in Subotica.
The investigation into the Karaburma murder has gained a new layer. Police have reconstructed what happened to the cash taken from the safe of Radivoje G., 73, in the hours after August 2. About 11,000 euros in mixed currency was taken from the apartment. Part of that money went into buying a car, the other part ended up in a green bag in an apartment in Subotica. Both parts have since been recovered and are now logged as physical evidence.
Three suspects, Milica Dj., Marko S. and Martina K., are charged with aggravated murder committed for gain, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. During questioning at the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office, all three remained silent, which is within their procedural rights. We reported earlier on the 30 day pretrial detention order.
A purchase that left a trail
Milica Dj. and Martina K. are suspected of buying a Volkswagen shortly after the killing. According to the investigation, the money for the purchase came from the stolen cash. Officers from the Criminal Police Directorate located and arrested them in that same vehicle, in the Subotica area. A search of the car also turned up part of the money that had not yet been spent.
For the investigation, that is not a minor detail. Cash is anonymous and hard to tie to a specific theft. A car purchase is not: it comes with a seller, a date, a price and paperwork. What was meant to be a quick way to get the money out of sight became the point where the loot linked back to the suspects.
Why does the green bag matter?
The third suspect, Marko S., did not spend his share of the money. He left it in an ordinary green bag, in premises he used in Subotica. Police found the bag during a search and in doing so secured the other half of the loot.
According to police, he tried to hide in a shed at the moment of arrest. The door was broken down and he was detained on the spot. The operation took place in the Subotica area, in the north of Vojvodina, near the border with Hungary. Investigators have not ruled out that the suspects intended to cross the border and leave Serbia.
What goes into the case file
Reconstructing where the money went has given the investigation three concrete pieces of evidence:
- the car bought right after the crime
- the cash found in the vehicle at the time of arrest
- the cash from the green bag in the Subotica apartment
All three suspects are in pretrial detention by order of the Belgrade Higher Court, over flight risk and public disturbance concerns. The vehicle and the recovered cash are being held as physical evidence for the upcoming proceedings.
The murder was reported on August 2, and the arrests followed within a few days. That pace is fast for a case involving three suspects who had fled more than 200 kilometers from the scene. The likely explanation is that the loot moved in ways that could be seen. Cash that sits still gives nothing away, cash that gets spent leaves an address.
What remains unconfirmed
Media reports differ on the suspects’ ages. Kurir and Nova list them as 40, 32 and 30. Accounts of the victim’s occupation also differ, with some describing him as a baker and others as a grocery store owner. Until the prosecution issues an official confirmation, these details remain inconsistent and we report them with that caveat.
Under the law, all three suspects are presumed innocent until a final verdict. The prosecution still has to complete its investigation and file an indictment, with the case file to be presented at trial. Only then will it become clear how solid the money trail is as evidence, and whether buying that car was the mistake that solved the case in under two days.
