Subotica Thefts: Suspect Posed as an Old Acquaintance
Six thefts in Subotica were solved within days. Suspect I. R., 52, from Novi Pazar approached elderly victims as an old acquaintance, then took their wallets and cash while they were distracted.
Police in Subotica have solved six thefts and arrested I. R., 52, from Novi Pazar, according to a statement released by Serbia’s Ministry of Interior (MUP) on August 11. The suspect reportedly needed only three days to carry out the string of thefts. He would approach elderly people on the streets of downtown Subotica and at the city’s Stara pijaca market, greet them as if he were an old acquaintance they hadn’t seen in years, then use their distraction to take wallets and cash from their pockets.
Police worked the case together with the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Subotica. Criminal complaints against the suspect will be filed with the competent prosecutor’s office through the regular procedure.
A fake acquaintance at the market and in the city center
What sets this string of thefts apart is the method. According to the statement, it relied on conversation rather than force. The suspect would greet an older person as someone he claimed to know well, and once their guard was down, take the wallet and cash from their pocket.
What MUP’s statement says:
- six criminal counts of theft were solved
- the suspect targeted elderly people on the streets of downtown Subotica and at the Stara pijaca market
- he introduced himself as an acquaintance the victims hadn’t seen in a long time
- he took wallets and cash from their pockets
- criminal complaints will follow through the regular procedure
The same scene played out six times in three days, in a small stretch of the city center.
From the wanted list straight to prison in Novi Pazar
The suspect had already been placed on a wanted list. After his arrest in Subotica, he was transferred to the District Prison in Novi Pazar, where he is due to serve a previously imposed prison sentence.
That means he was already carrying a final conviction, and now faces a new case, built on complaints that have yet to reach the prosecutor’s office.
Why it’s called theft, not robbery
The statement refers to the criminal offense of theft. Theft means taking someone else’s movable property without force or the threat of force, which sets it apart from robbery, where force or a threat is present. The difference isn’t a matter of wording, it’s a legal one, and it determines the sentence a court can impose.
The final legal classification rests with the prosecutor’s office, and the ruling with the court. Until a final verdict, I. R. remains a suspect, charged with the acts attributed to him.
A similar case, another part of Serbia
We recently reported on the arrest of K. P., 22, over an aggravated theft near Sremska Mitrovica, where police also solved the case first and only then tracked down the suspect.
Both cases share something else too: in each, police reached the suspect through operative police work, in cooperation with the competent basic public prosecutor’s office.
On August 12, MUP also issued an appeal urging citizens to stay alert to the growing frequency of phone-based fraud offenses.
