Serbian professor questions how phone taken during assault ended up in Kosovo

Serbian film director and university professor Stevan Filipović has demanded an explanation from police and prosecutors regarding the mysterious reappearance of his phone, which he says was stolen during an assault in central Belgrade. Filipović, a professor at Belgrade's Faculty of Dramatic Arts, shared screenshots from Apple's Find My service showing his iPhone's most recent location as Uroševac/Ferizaj in southern Kosovo. He told Nova S television that he remotely erased the phone's contents after it was taken but could still track its location. The phone initially appeared at an Interior Ministry facility on Majke Jevrosime Street in Belgrade. Filipović stated he alerted officers there, who recorded his statement but claimed the phone was not present. The tracking data later showed the device near Dunavska Street and then at an Interior Ministry forensic facility on Kneza Milosa Street before its final reported location in Kosovo.

Filipović recounted the assault, which occurred on the evening of August 5, after he photographed individuals painting graffiti on a protected building. He alleges his attackers were associated with Serbia's ruling party. According to his account, one assailant grabbed his phone while others physically assaulted him, knocking him down, kicking him, and striking him with a metal chair. Belgrade's First Basic Public Prosecutor's Office has initiated an investigation into the incident. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has urged authorities to prosecute and punish those responsible, contingent on the veracity of Filipović's claims. The situation raises serious questions about the handling of evidence and the potential movement of stolen property across borders, particularly given the sensitive political context between Serbia and Kosovo.

“

Ten hours later, the new location was Urosevac