Balijagic case: Many springs, caves, pits - drones aren't useful, only detailed physical search can help

Photo collage: Tanjug/Jovan Nikolic, Facebook/Bijelo Polje online

The search for Montenegrin fugutive Alija Balijagic, who is suspected of murdering Jovana and Milenko Madzgalj on October 25 in the village of Sokolac near Bijelo Polje, Montenegro, is still ongoing.

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He was last seen in the village of Obarde, also in Montenegro, and before that in the villages along the border with Serbia.

The dangerous fugitive is moving along the triple border (between Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina), and this is an area he knows very well and where he was hiding 20 years ago, when he was also wanted by the police on charges of robbery.

Mile Vukovic, an experienced mountaineer and speleologist from Bijelo Polje, says that the terrain through which Balijagic is moving is extremely inaccessible.

"There are numerous caves and pits, where Balijagic can easily hide. That area has a lot of springs, there are also two or three canyons. According to everything we have seen so far, he knows how to survive in nature, so it is not surprising that he is still at large," Vukovic told RINA.

He added that modern equipment is not very helpful in such circumstances.

"In this case, drones with thermal imaging cameras are not enough to search all those natural hiding places. The only thing that would give concrete results is a detailed physical search of each cave and pit," says Vukovic.

Apart from Montenegrin, members of the Serbian Border Police and the Gendarmerie are also looking for Balijagic.

Schools in villages close to Brodarevo, Serbia, are closed until the search is over, with classes now taking place online.

(Telegraf.rs)