Eight Officers Arrested Over Death in Custody as Allegations of a Police Cover-Up Resurface

Eight Officers Arrested Over Death in Custody as Allegations of a Police Cover-Up Resurface
Serbian prosecutors in Niš ordered the arrest of eight police officers over the alleged torture and fatal beating of Dalibor Dragijević at the police headquarters in Bor. The suspects, members of the Criminal Police Directorate, are accused of causing serious bodily injuries resulting in death, alongside abuse and torture. They were detained for up to 48 hours pending questioning.

Dragijević died in police custody on April 7, 2024, after being detained during the investigation into the disappearance of two-year-old Danka Ilić. His brother, Dejan Dragijević, is charged in that case. Prosecutors’ action represents a significant shift from the Interior Ministry’s account at the time, which said Dalibor had become ill and died of natural causes.

His father, Radoslav Dragijević, has long rejected that explanation. Describing the injuries allegedly found on his son, he said, “His skull was broken, his arm was torn from his body, and the skin on the soles of his feet was covered in wounds.” He also claimed a police officer told him: “We killed your son.” The father said the arrests should have happened earlier and vowed to seek the maximum sentences, including taking the case to Strasbourg if necessary.

Opposition reporting has presented the death as a police murder rather than an unexplained custody death. It says autopsy and later forensic findings described extensive injuries across Dragijević’s body and concluded that he died after a brutal beating allegedly intended to force a confession. The same reporting claims senior Interior Ministry and Criminal Police Directorate officials helped suppress or redirect the investigation, while none of the officers involved was suspended during the following two years.

The eight suspects are expected to be brought before the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Niš for questioning. Prosecutors said they would inform the public about further action after all statements are taken.