BRUTAL MIGRANT SHOWDOWN IN OBRENOVAC: Murder victim shot in back, another desperately tried to stop bleeding

The mystery of the events that unfolded in the woods near Obrenovac, a suburban Belgrade municipality - which began last night with the discovery of a migrant's body, and of another seriously wounded man - has turned into a complex investigation into a brutal showdown among rival people smuggling gangs, Telegraf.rs has learned.

Although police operation Vihor 3 ("Whirlwind 3"), which is the law enforcement's immediate response to similar incidents, has officially ended, the scene is still investigated by forensic experts and inspectors, who are combing through every meter of the ground, as the gunman remains at large.

Reconstruction of horror: Execution and transport of body?

The police discovered a blood-curdling scene last night. One migrant was found dead with a gunshot wound to his back, his body carefully wrapped in a blanket. Not far from him lay another man, barely alive, with a severe wound to his thigh.

Telegraf.rs has learned the investigators noticed a detail on the wounded man's body - his leg was tied up with a shoelace in what appears to have been his desperate attempt to stop the heavy bleeding. The doctors in Belgrade are currently fighting to save him, but as he remains in critical condition, he is still unable to reveal the identity of the attackers to the investigators.

Afghan gangs clash for supremacy

Although a random conflict was initially suspected, new clues indicate that this was a showdown within the people smuggling circles. It is suspected that the victims and the attackers are Afghan citizens, and that the reason behind the bloodshed was money, or control over the routes used to transport migrants illegally.

"Everything suggests that the forest near Obrenovac is not the scene of the crime, but the location where the attackers got rid of the victims. We believe that they were shot at another location, and then dumped here," says a source close to the investigation.

Frightened locals

People living in nearby homes are today visibly upset, as the area is teeming with police, and claim they did not hear any shooting.

"We heard nothing last night, no shots. This forest is dense and difficult to pass through, ideal for hiding something under the cover of night. We suspect they were actually killed somewhere else and just thrown out here," one of the locals told our portal.

Higher public prosecution takes over

The investigation has been taken over by the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade. The priority is the immediate identification of the victims and performing analyses of DNA traces found on the blanket and the shoelaces, which could lead to the killer. The police are still active in Obrenovac as inspectors are checking all suspicious locations and abandoned buildings where the attacker or attackers might have sought shelter.

(Telegraf.rs)