Eight police officers arrested over beating death of witness in Danka Ilić investigation
Prosecutors say a man died after suffering violent injuries while held for questioning in Bor during the inquiry into the two‑year‑old's disappearance.
Eight police officers from Serbia’s Criminal Police Directorate were arrested on suspicion of beating a witness to death during the investigation into the disappearance of two‑year‑old Danka Ilić, the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Niš said on Friday.
What prosecutors say
Prosecutors say the man who died in police custody was the brother of one of the suspects in the Danka Ilić case. He had been taken to the Bor Police Directorate for questioning; authorities initially reported a natural death, but a post‑mortem found that his injuries were the result of violence.
The Ministry of Interior of Serbia announced the names and ages of the arrested officers, identified by initials as N.P. (41), J.K. (41), M.Lj. (47) and I.T. (52) — who at the time belonged to the Criminal Police Directorate — and B.M. (42), M.S. (31), M.B. (40) and Z.Gj. (38), members of another directorate.
In an official statement the ministry said, "They are suspected of having committed the criminal offence of abuse and torture on the night between 6 and 7 April 2024 in Bor in connection with the criminal offence of grievous bodily harm, which resulted in the death of D.D."
One of the suspects previously accused of helping to conceal Danka Ilić's body died overnight in custody. Two municipal workers were earlier arrested and charged in connection with the death of the girl; prosecutors say the body still has not been found.
The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Niš said it had previously issued arrest warrants for all suspects but that members of the Ministry's internal control sector failed to carry out the orders. The arrested officers were placed in 48‑hour detention pending questioning at the prosecutor's office.
The arrests come amid a wider round of police detentions in Serbia following public pressure after recent parliamentary elections. In the past weeks authorities also detained nine active and one former police officer accused of excessive force during last year’s anti‑government protests in Belgrade, and arrested Marko Kričak, the former head of the Criminal Police Directorate, on related charges.
Photo: Arhiva
