Grandson killed grandmother, set house on fire to cover up crime

Miljan Ranković (23) from Rabrovac near Mladenovac has been arrested on suspicion of killing his grandmother Miroslava (69) with a knife, and setting fire to cover up the crime, reports the Patria news agency.

The young man even tried to extinguish the fire he is suspected of setting in his grandmother's house on Hilandarska Street on Sunday, sustaining second and third-degree burns. The motive for the murder is believed to be an argument over money.

"On Sunday, three hours after midnight, a fire broke out in the house. After extinguishing the fire, a charred body of Miroslava Ranković was found in the room, which was completely burned. It was believed that the woman had suffocated, and that the body then burned. Her grandson was there, he was injured when he tried to put out the fire, so he was transferred to the Mladenovac Health Center, where he received medical attention," says a source familiar with the investigation for "Blic".

Miroslava Ranković's body was transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine the same day.

"The autopsy showed that she was murdered because injuries from a sharp object, probably a knife, were found on the body. Further investigation revealed that her grandson had killed her," the source for "Blic" reveals.

The injured grandson was arrested shortly thereafter. Yesterday, "Blic" reporters found Miroslava's granddaughter, Marija, the sister of the suspect Miljan, in front of the house in Rabrovac where Miroslava died.

"I was there on Saturday. We were going home and gave Miljan a ride to the store. We talked late that evening. He called me to ask for a colleague's number because his grandmother kept urging him to get married, and he also wanted to settle down. And now this," says Marija.

Marija's mother, who lives in Aranđelovac with her second husband, called her the day before yesterday and told her that Miljan had not passed the polygraph test and had been arrested. "Tragedy after tragedy. Two weeks ago our father Zoran died. And now our grandmother is dead, and our brother is in custody," Marija sadly states.

Miljan, according to a neighbor Milanka Krstić, worked in Belgrade in security.

"He had a record. On the fateful night, he was drinking with friends. Tragedy!" says Krstić.

Neighbor Miroslav recalls the fateful night.

"At 3:30 AM, Miljan ran into my yard, naked, with nothing on, and shouted 'The house is on fire!'. He kept calling for his grandmother. My family rushed to help them, we grabbed the first buckets we found, filled them with water and put out the fire. My brother and I tried to save Mira, and Miljan kept calling for his grandmother and shouting 'save her'," says Miroslav, writes Blic.