Obrenovac: 14 Arrested After Death of Berisa A., 51
Police arrested 14 people over the attack in Urovci, in which Berisa A., 51, was injured on September 9. He died six days later.
Police in Obrenovac have arrested 14 people over an attack in the Urovci neighborhood that left Berisa A., 51, severely injured in early September. All 14 have been ordered held for up to 48 hours. The arrests began on September 19, a day after the injured man died of his wounds. Our newsroom has not previously reported on this case.
The attack that led to the arrests happened on September 9. That day, a woman fleeing a violent ex partner sought shelter at her parents’ house in Urovci. Her ex partner would not accept that she had left him.
A convoy of nine cars soon pulled up outside her parents’ house, and more than 30 men got out. A general brawl broke out.
Berisa A. tried to defend the woman and the people in the house. In the clash, he was struck in the head with an axe. While he lay unconscious on the pavement, an Audi A6 drove over his body. The attackers then fled the scene, according to both Kurir and Telegraf.
Six days later, on September 15, the injured man died of his wounds despite treatment. His death moved the case to a higher level of jurisdiction.
Who ordered the arrests
Police arrested the 14 suspects on September 19. According to Telegraf, the arrests were carried out on the order of the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office. Kurir does not specify which prosecutor’s office ordered the arrests, saying only that the operation was carried out on a prosecutor’s order.
Both outlets agree, however, on what happened after the injured man died: the case was then taken over by the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office. Higher prosecutor’s offices generally take over cases with a fatal outcome, so the shift in jurisdiction here is the expected step, not an exception.
The 14 suspects have been ordered held for up to 48 hours. Within that period, prosecutors decide on the next steps of the pre-investigation, including any proposal to order pretrial detention. None of those arrested has been named so far, and it has not been disclosed whether any of them is specifically suspected of the axe blow or of driving the car that ran over the injured man. None of them has been found guilty, and all remain suspects until the investigation is complete.
Refusing the polygraph
According to Telegraf, investigators met resistance from the suspects during questioning. Several key suspects refused to take a polygraph test. Telegraf also reports that witnesses are refusing to discuss the event itself, which is making it harder for investigators to determine who struck the axe blow and who was driving the car.
Kurir reports this detail in similar form but without mentioning the witnesses’ refusal, stating only that the key suspects declined the polygraph.
So far only two outlets, Kurir and Telegraf, have covered the case, both citing unofficial police sources. There has been no official statement yet from the Interior Ministry (MUP) or the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office. If one is released, it should bring more precise details on the status of each of the 14 detainees and on the charges they face.
For now, what both sources confirm is this: the attack took place on September 9 in Urovci, the victim was a man defending a woman from her ex partner, and he died of his injuries six days later. After his death, the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office took over the case, and on September 19, 14 people were arrested.
