Serbia arrests two top police chiefs over torture and evidence-tampering claims

Marko Kricak, head of Serbia’s Criminal Police Directorate, and Bosko Sekulovic, head of the Service for Combating Crime, were arrested on Sunday, November 1, 2026, on the order of the Belgrade Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office. Anti-corruption police carried out the operation, and both officials were detained for 48 hours.

The case concerns the May 2026 murder of Aleksandar Nesovic, known as Baja, at the restaurant "27" in Senjak, Belgrade. Nenad L., charged as an accessory after the fact for allegedly removing blood traces, cleaning the restaurant, and moving the body, has become the key injured party in the new investigation against the police chiefs.

“The prosecution acts exclusively in accordance with the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Serbia.”

Nenad L. told prosecutors that on May 16 he was subjected to brutal physical torture and coercion inside UKP premises to force a statement, directly naming then-UKP chief Marko Kricak as a participant. His lawyer filed a criminal complaint supported by medical documentation of injuries.

The investigation was launched by the Special Department for Combating Corruption of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade after obstruction of proceedings in May and a consolidated criminal complaint filed by the injured party’s lawyer at the end of July.

Chief Prosecutor Nenad Stefanovic confirmed the detentions and stated that the office acts exclusively in accordance with the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Serbia. He said the arrests have no connection to the election process or parliamentary election results.

A separate but related matter involves former Belgrade Police Chief Veselin Milic, who was also detained after disclosures about illegal demolitions in the Savamala neighborhood, a decade-old scandal. Milic’s lawyers allege investigators concealed evidence and pressured witnesses and suspects to implicate him in the crime.

According to Bulgarian agency BGNES and Serbian media, the complaint filed on July 30, 2026, includes statements from people who say they were beaten during interrogations and forced to sign false testimonies.