Kosovo: 29 returnee houses broken into

Kosovo: 29 returnee houses broken into

PEĆ -- Unknown perpetrators have caused damaged to and broken into 29 out of the total of 30 houses belonging to returnees in the village of Ljevoša.

The village is located near the town of Peć in Kosovo and Metohija.

Police Spokesman in Pec Dzevat Ibra confirmed for RTK 2 that the robbery took place in the night between Wednesday and Thursday, and the scene is being searched.

"It has been reported to the police station in Peć that several houses in Ljevoša have been broken into. Police units have arrived at the scene immediately and begun investigating it. The houses were broken into, but it is still unknown whether things were stolen, as the owners of the houses are currently in Serbia. The investigation is ongoing, and police patrols have been stepped up in Ljevoša, Siga, Brestovik, the villages where Serbs reside," Ibra said.

Ranko Bakićc, a representative of the village who is currently in central Serbia, said in a phone conversation with RTK 2 that an Albanian neighbor informed him that his house was broken into.

"We are scared and disappointed and do not know what to do after this attack on our village, and whether we will return at all. I am calling on the international community, Ministry for Community and Return, Kosovo's government, the Serbian government and all relevant actors to take all necessary measures so that we can stay in these areas," Bakić said.

Around 30 Serbs returned to Ljevoša in 2005, and 30 houses were repaired. Today, there are around 15 people in the village who live there permanently, while the village had 280 residents before the 1999 war.