Head of Serbia’s Criminal Police arrested over alleged manipulation of investigations and mistreatment of protesters after student opposition victory

Marko Kriçak, head of Serbia’s Criminal Police, has been arrested on the orders of the Prosecutor’s Office, one week after a student-backed opposition list won Serbia’s parliamentary elections.

His deputy, Bosko Sekuloviç, was also detained. The two officials are suspected of abuse of office, Serbian media reported, citing the state news agency Tanjug.

Kriçak, considered one of President Aleksandar Vuçiç’s closest and most trusted associates, was arrested at a delicate moment for the country’s political developments.

In last Sunday’s elections, the student-backed opposition secured a majority of seats in parliament, relegating to the opposition the ruling coalition that had been led by Vuçiç for years. Although power has not yet been transferred, recent events point to upheaval within the structures that have supported the Serbian president.

According to Tanjug, Kriçak is accused of obstructing and manipulating an investigation into a mafia-linked murder. The Prosecutor’s Office suspects that he interfered with evidence to enable the charges against people suspected of helping carry out the murder to be dropped.

Kriçak’s rise to the top of the security structures began far from leadership positions. He initially worked as a car salesman before being recruited by Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (BIA), where he was known as a loyal supporter of the president’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

In July 2023, Kriçak was appointed head of the Serbian Police’s Personal Protection Unit (JZO). At the end of 2025, he was appointed head of the Criminal Police.

In addition to the allegations of interfering in the mafia-linked murder investigation, the Prosecutor’s Office also suspects him of mistreating and intimidating peaceful protesters.

One of the cases included in the charges against him dates to August 2025. According to the allegations, officers from the Police’s Personal Protection Unit forcibly seized a group of students and took them toward the basements of a government building in Belgrade.

At the time, Kriçak was head of the unit and is suspected of personally commanding the operation. The allegations state that he struck a female student and threatened to rape her.

His detention is seen as a significant event in Serbia’s new political reality, as the student opposition’s victory has called into question the continued influence of the structures that have guaranteed the existing power.