A 31 year old postman from the Čapljina area has been arrested after investigators began looking into allegations that he disappeared with pension payments meant for dozens of residents and later traveled to Thailand. Stipo Jukić from Višići was arrested on September 16 at the Bijača international border crossing as he returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Police had previously launched an operational search for him after the case shifted from a missing person investigation to a criminal investigation over suspected embezzlement. The unusual case began earlier in September when Jukić disappeared after leaving the Čapljina area. His mother reported him missing on September 7 after she was unable to contact him. Investigators later determined that he had traveled from the area toward Mostar and then continued to Sarajevo. According to information that emerged during the search, he subsequently flew through Turkey toward Bangkok, Thailand. His trip attracted additional attention after footage apparently showing him in Thailand appeared on social media.
At the center of the investigation are pension payments that were supposed to be delivered to residents in the Čapljina area. Between 50 and 60 pensioners reportedly had not received their payments at the time Jukić disappeared. Police subsequently filed a criminal complaint on September 10 on suspicion of embezzlement, after which the search for him was conducted as an investigation into a suspected criminal offense rather than simply a missing person case. Croatian Post Mostar later said that the pensions in the Čapljina area had been fully paid out by September 10 and that internal checks had been launched. His arrest came when he returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Ministry of Interior of the Herzegovina Neretva Canton said Jukić was detained at the Bijača border crossing at around 2:30 p.m. on September 16. Officers from the Čapljina police administration took custody of him and placed him in detention, while criminal investigators and the competent prosecutor were informed. Authorities said investigative activities were continuing as they work to establish the circumstances surrounding the missing pension payments and Jukić’s movements abroad.
The case has since taken another turn. According to a report published on September 17, Jukić was released to defend himself while remaining free after giving a statement to police. The report says he returned through Split before crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina, while questions remain over the whereabouts of the pension money. These developments are part of an ongoing investigation, and the allegations against Jukić have not been established by a final court decision.
