Krusevac Duo Arrested Over 77,000 Euro Extortion
Police in Krusevac arrested two men accused of extortion after they lent a victim 40,000 euros at monthly interest, then demanded another 77,000 euros by force once the debt was repaid.
Paying off the debt was not the end of it. Police suspect that once the victim repaid the 40,000 euros he had borrowed, he was asked for almost twice that amount.
The Interior Ministry (MUP) announced on August 8 that officers from the Krusevac Police Department had arrested D. A. (1983) and M. Z. (1986), both from the city. They are charged with extortion committed as co-perpetrators. According to MUP, the arrests followed operative police work.
How the 77,000 Euro Debt Came About
According to the police, the arrangement unfolded like this:
- over the past year, the suspects lent the victim 40,000 euros
- they also set a monthly interest rate on top of the principal
- the victim repaid the principal
- after that, they demanded 77,000 euros from him for an alleged remaining debt
- they allegedly tried to collect the sum through force and serious threats to his life and body
The statement does not specify the monthly interest rate or the period during which the extra payment was demanded. It is also not known whether the victim handed over part of that sum before the case was reported.
By order of the Krusevac Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office, the suspects were ordered held for up to 48 hours. After that period, they will be brought before the prosecutor along with a criminal complaint. Both men are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Why Are Debts Like This Rarely Reported on Time?
Because these loans usually leave no paper trail. The money changes hands in cash, the interest is agreed verbally, and the borrower has nothing to prove how much he has already paid back. By the time the demanded amount stops matching the original loan, the victim is already in a position where he can barely dispute whatever figure he is given.
What stands out in this case is the arrangement itself. The 40,000 euro principal had already been settled, yet the 77,000 euro demand was framed as the remainder of a debt that, according to the complaint, no longer existed. That kind of math is exactly why cases like this are classified as extortion rather than a loan dispute.
Beyond Krusevac
In recent years, police have repeatedly arrested people who lent money at interest and then used threats to enforce collection. In an operation called “Wrath,” officers broke up a group from Cacak that, according to MUP’s statement on the case, lent money to fellow residents at monthly interest rates of 10 to 30 percent, with threats and physical attacks awaiting debtors who fell behind on payments. In other rounds of the same operation, collection was carried out through mortgages placed on houses and land.
The law separates two things. Loan sharking is lending money at a disproportionately high interest rate while exploiting a borrower’s difficult position. Extortion is forcing someone to hand over money, and it carries a harsher prison sentence.
The Krusevac case is still in the pre-investigation stage. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether they will seek pretrial detention after the criminal complaint is filed, and under which classification of the offense they will proceed. That classification will determine the sentencing range, since extortion committed by multiple people is not treated the same as extortion committed alone.
