Voice of America: Shkodra crime situation heavy

31-year-old Arjan Feracaku was shot with automatic hail in the suburbs of the city while riding along with several of his relatives. In connection with this murder, the police have accompanied an investigation of about 30 people, but so far has provided no details about murder and authors. The first suspicions relate to the clashes between criminal groups in this city, or any fines from these groups.

The 31-year-old businessman's murder has led to 6 the number of people killed within the past three months. Also, two others end up missing without a trace of 10 days. For none of these serious criminal events, police have managed to identify or arrest the authors, what has shocked the safety of citizens and businesses in Shkodra.

In mid-July the city of Shkodra was rocked by a double murder, that of former police officer Boran Brcana and the woman he was living with. Although the two - year - old boy was also in the vehicle where they were executed, 23 bullets were spilled from an MP5 gun. The crime scene, filmed by a building camera, testifies to a professional killer who has not yet been identified by police.

Among the last 6 people killed in Shkodra is 53-year-old Fatbadh Lici, a prominent man in the city who was executed on August 10th, at a local nearby residence in the city's Kyras district. His brother, Mustafa Lici, from the house where he has been stuck for three weeks, accused the government and police today of links to criminal groups.

The murder series in the northern town was warned in January this year following a failed assassination of explosive substances against businessman Lulzim Tower, a prominent figure of the crime world in Shkodra. The explosive substance placed on a motorcycle near his car severely injured businessman Tower, who survived the injuries.

After this assassination, Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj, speaking of the operation “The Law Force”, stated that three criminal groups -- one of them hit by police for prostitution exercises -- have been identified at Shkodra. But since then, neither the police nor the Interior Ministry have identified two other criminal groups in public, nor have they managed to beat them.

The opposition has pointed the finger at the government, as guilty of the situation and of links to criminal groups in Shkodra. Democratic Party Chairman Lulzim Basha, the day before the assassination of businessman Feracaku, during a press conference, said Shkodra is in the grip of crime, due to a bilateral government pact with mafia families for the upcoming local elections in this city that has been ruled by the Democrats for years. / VOA