Former Belgrade police chief detained over man's disappearance

One of the most important people in Serbia's security system was detained in Belgrade on May 15th on suspicion of aiding in the disappearance of a man in the Serbian capital of two million.

Veselin Milić, who at the time of his arrest in the morning hours still held the title of Chief of the Belgrade Police Department, was detained on May 15th on the order of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office, which charges him with participating in the disappearance of the 52-year-old, writes the BBC in Serbian.

The man was last seen on May 12th in a restaurant in the Belgrade neighborhood of Senjak.

Milić was ordered to be detained for up to 48 hours on suspicion of committing the criminal offenses of failing to report a criminal offense and the perpetrator, and assisting the perpetrator after the criminal offense was committed, the prosecutor's office announced.

He should be questioned before the prosecutor's office within that period.

Immediately after the news of Milić's arrest was published, the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) sent a statement stating that "Police Colonel Veselin Milić is no longer the Chief of the Belgrade Police Department."

Due to the disappearance of the man, who is still being sought, three police officers, the owner and waiter of the restaurant, as well as two other men suspected of, according to the prosecutor's office, "attempted murder" have so far been detained.

Among those detained is the wife of one of the suspects.

The Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade, in cooperation with the Criminal Police Directorate and the Service for Combating Organized Crime, continues to determine all the circumstances surrounding the man's disappearance, the statement said.

Instead of the dismissed Milić, until a new chief of the Belgrade police is appointed, the current deputy Dejan Bojović will perform this function, the Ministry of Interior announced.

BBC Serbian has reached out to Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić for comment.

In response to Milić's detention, several opposition parliamentary parties called for the resignations of both Dačić and Police Director Dragan Vasiljević.

What is known so far?

The 52-year-old man was reported missing by his common-law wife, saying they last spoke on May 12, the prosecutor's office said.

That night, according to information so far, he was in a restaurant in Senjak.

At the prosecutor's office's request, the police detained two people on suspicion of committing the crimes of attempted aggravated murder, illegal possession of weapons, and causing general danger.

Among those detained is the wife of one of the suspects, who is suspected of having committed the criminal offense of illegal production, possession, carrying and trafficking of weapons and explosives, the prosecutor's office announced.

The suspects have been ordered to be detained for up to 48 hours and are to be questioned at the prosecutor's office.

A day later, on May 14, three police officers were also detained on suspicion of aiding and abetting the man's disappearance.

The detained police officers suspected of involvement in this case are allegedly members of Veselin Milić's security, reports Radio Television of Serbia (RTS).

On the same day, the owner and waiter of the restaurant where the man who is still wanted was last seen were also arrested.

They are charged with the criminal offenses of assisting a perpetrator after the crime has been committed and failure to report the crime and the perpetrator.

Who is Veselin Milić - from serving in Užice to becoming the chief of the Belgrade police

Veselin Milić holds the rank of colonel and has almost 20 years of experience in the police in various positions.

He was born in 1979 in Priboj, in southwestern Serbia.

He graduated from the High School of Internal Affairs in Sremska Kamenica and the Police Academy in Belgrade.

He began working as a police officer in 1998 at the Secretariat of Internal Affairs in Užice, where he later rose to the position of Assistant Commander of the Police Department.

He left Užice for Belgrade, where in 2003 he was appointed assistant commander of the Police Station of the central municipality of Savski Venac, and two years later he became his deputy.

He became the commander of this police station in January 2006, and a few months later he was appointed Head of the Security Department in the Police Directorate of the Belgrade City Police Department.

He was first appointed as the chief of the Belgrade police in 2013, remaining in that position until 2019.

During his first term as chief of the Belgrade police, buildings on Hercegovačka Street were demolished in April 2016, on the site of what is now the luxury settlement 'Beograd na vodi'.

Milić was never fully questioned in connection with the case, the website Insajder reported in 2018, citing a report by the Ombudsman from May 2016.

He exchanged the position of chief of the Belgrade police for a position in the cabinet of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, where he served as his advisor for the fight against corruption and crime.

He was also the Assistant Director for the Improvement, Organization and Functioning of the Police Directorate.

In November 2020, he was reappointed as the head of the Belgrade police.

Three years later, on May 3, a tragedy occurred at an elementary school in downtown Belgrade when a minor boy killed nine students and a security guard.

Milić was then the target of great criticism because that same morning, at a press conference and in front of television cameras, he showed, as he said, a list of children from the "Vladimir Ribnikar" school that the underage boy planned to kill.

However, he was not punished for it.

He respected the Constitution and the law and did not reveal the identities of the children, concluded the inspection report of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, BIRN wrote.

During Milić's command of the Belgrade police, there were various criminal armed clashes in the Serbian capital, often involving the use of bombs, especially in recent months.

Despite this, both his superiors, himself, and his Police Department repeatedly insisted that Belgrade was a safe city.

"Belgrade is the safest capital city," Milić said in an interview with the Belgrade Telegraph in February 2024, presenting a series of statistics.