An explosive attack that has raised serious questions about security and the fight against crime in Gjirokastër is revealing even graver details. According to the version of the investigative team, Beqir Devolli, known as “Çilo,” was followed for around 3 kilometers by the perpetrator, who then activated the explosive remotely. Devolli died in hospital, while Erigers Mela was left injured.
Investigation suspicions: remote surveillance and a controlled explosion
According to sources from the investigative team, the explosion was not accidental but coordinated while the vehicle was moving. Investigators suspect that the person who activated the explosive followed the victim from the Viroi area to the place where the blast occurred, a distance of nearly 3 kilometers.
If this line is confirmed by the investigation, it would point to an attack monitored step by step, again raising questions about how the perpetrators were able to move and act without being stopped.
Final movements before the attack
According to the information available so far, Beqir Devolli had coffee with a friend and then got into the vehicle. It was precisely there that the explosion occurred, proving fatal for him.
Passenger Erigers Mela was also injured, and his name has also emerged in the circumstances now being verified by investigators.
Previous threats and warning signs
Under the version being investigated, the victim had received threats by phone. Likewise, according to the same information, Erigers Mela had also previously been under pressure, after his vehicle was burned last year in what is considered a warning.
Devolli, known as “Çilo,” is reported to have spent two years under house arrest in Tirana. Investigators are expected to examine this element in relation to contacts, possible conflicts and the leads now being checked.
Blast near police and the lead being examined
According to investigative sources, the explosion near the police is suspected to have been carefully planned, with the perpetrators waiting for the road to clear before activating the explosive substance. This claim makes the incident even more serious, not only because of the method of execution but also because of the defiant message toward public order.
One of the leads being examined concerns a possible link to Artan Myrtaj, who was shot dead in Sarandë two weeks ago. On this line, there has so far been no official conclusion.
The investigation remains open, and so far many of the main elements are based on the investigative team’s initial suspicions.
The incident deepens suspicions of a chain of criminal clashes emerging through increasingly severe methods, while official answers remain incomplete.