Santa's Honor in Question

santa links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 29 December 2011)

An investigation has been initiated concerning the müftü (religious affairs
chief of a district) of Keşan district, Süleyman Yeniçeri, who said the
following: 'There's no Santa Claus. There's a St. Nicholas but he's made-up.
Santa Claus enters a house through the chimney or the window. But an
honorable person comes in through the front door.' The Religious Affairs
Ministry has ordered the Edirne provincial müftü's office to investigate
the matter and a decision concerning Yeniçeri will be made based on the
inspector's report.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Demre, Süleyman Topçu, has sent a message
to the müftü, saying 'I'm inviting the müftü to our district so I can tell
him about the history related to St. Nicholas, who was a real person.'
Topçu added that 'St. Nicholas was the child of a well-to-do family. He
would throw gifts down the chimney or through the window without
letting on who had given them. I wonder if the müftü who says that
St. Nicholas wasn't honorable is himself honorable.'

The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ertuğrul Günay, made the
following comment about the Keşan müftü while he was in Antalya:
'One of our friends has spoken about something that is beyond his ken.
There's an old saying in Anatolia 'don't bother with fools, pay heed to
the scholars' (or something to that effect). He (Yeniçeri) did something
on his own. The person known the world over as Santa Claus was born
in Patara and lived in Myra and Demre. There is information that he
was St. Nicholas. We don't want to diminish this knowledge because it
plays a role in acquainting people with our country.'

Lady Doctor Proves Retiree's Manhood

man links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 27 December 2011)

Ayçin Özkan had to take care of some matters four years ago at a few
state offices when he noticed that his name was spelled 'Ayşin' on official
documents. Changing the name would require him to file a suit but
officials suggested a shortcut - they issued him an identity card under the
name 'Ayşin Özkan'.

However, his problems knew no end because of the name 'Ayşin' so
Özkan again went to the Fatih (Istanbul) Population Directorate on
20 September 2011, asking to have his name changed. But the official
there noted that the name wasn't the only problem - his sex was listed
as 'female' because of the name 'Ayşin'. According to the Population
Directorate, his name was Ayşin Özkan and he was a 'she'.

Özkan's only recourse was to file a suit and convince the judge that
he was 'Ayçin' and he was a man. Accordingly, Ayçin Özkan filed
suit on 23 November against the Population Affairs General Directorate
at the 10th Court of First Instance in Bakırköy.

Özkan, who gets a retirement salary of 850TL per month, paid 176TL
for the suit in order to get his name and sex straightened out. The court
sent Özkan to the Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research
Hospital for a physical examination and he received a report attesting
to his manhood. Summing things up Özkan said 'I was forced to undergo
an physical exam by a woman doctor the age of my grandchild. I was
so embarrassed. I can't find the word to explain what I've been through.'

Bloody Cost of Junior's British Education

junior links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 27 December 2011)

In Kireçburbu (Istanbul) the case of the torture and murder of Ali Server
Yıldız, the driver for architect Mehmet Ali Barman who owns a 4-story
mansion on the Bosporus, has not progressed in two years. Yıldız was
killed because he told someone that Barman would be murdered for money.

Those being tried for Yıldız's murder, Barman's nursemaid Ayten Şafak
(25), whose nickname is 'thousand and one faces', and her partner in crime
Tamer Kapucu (44), claim that fashion designer Sedef Akgül ordered the
murder. At the latest hearing on 23 December at the 1st Serious Crimes
Court in Üsküdar, Kapucu claimed that 'Sedef had us commit this crime
so she could educate her son in England. Her nephew is the security
chief so that's why she hasn't been arrested.'  Ayten Şafak stated that
'Sedef told me 'you don't have a record. When you get caught say that
Tamer committed the crime. He's got a record.' She tipped off the
Gendarmerie and fled. She arranged the crime.'

The hearing was postponed after the arrest warrant for Sedef Akgül,
who has been sought for two years, was renewed.

Puppy Love Blinds Thief in Samsun

puppies links to original article

(Samsun News, 22 December 2011)

A person who entered the home of the General Director of the British-
American Tobacco Company factory in Samsun threatened the chief's
wife, Mogrietha Maria Eloff, with a starters pistol and robbed her of
750TL in her handbag.

The suspect, however, stopped to pick up two puppies that chased
him as he escaped and returned them to the surprised woman who
thanked the thief. It was determined that the suspect works as a welder
in the same factory and he was arrested by police.

The incident took place in Samsun's Atakum district on 20 December.
Ufuk Bozdemir (23), a factory worker, had gone to the General Director's
triplex villa in Atakum to work on home repairs but returned a few days
later, covering his face with a scarf and wearing gloves. He then knocked
on the door of the house where Mogrietha Maria Eloff was home alone.
Bozdemir threatened her with the pistol, took 750TL from her handbag
and fled.

While escaping two 'golden' puppies in the garden chased after Bozdemir.
Eloff also came out into the garden at this time as Bozdemir picked up
the puppies and returned them to Eloff who, in a state of surprise,
thanked Bozdemir.

Bozdemir was picked up by police in Bafra district last night. In his
statement he said that 'I owe 4,000TL on my credit card so that's why
I did this. I regret it. When I saw the puppies coming after me I stopped
and picked them up. I was going to put them down there but I saw the
woman in the garden and gave them to her. She thanked me.'

Bozdemir was taken to the acting court and then to jail.

Turks Foresaw 'Occupy' Two Years Ago

foresight links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 24 December 2011)

Literature teacher H. Gümrah Eralp (29) and English teacher A. Tahsin
Ertaş, both of Bursa, displayed magnificent foresight when they wrote
two years ago in their book about the unemployment protests in the U.S.
and they were hightlighted on the front page of Sabah Newspaper.

Hollywood producers are knocking on the pair's doors in order to make
a film of the novel, entitled 'Provocateur, The Day of No Money', which
pointed out that money is the world's biggest problem and explained
how the world would be saved. The book the two wrote two years ago
was published in February 2011 and the 'Occupy Wall Street' protests,
near Wall Street where the New York Stock Exchange is located, began
in September.

The two authors said that two Turkish producers in Hollywood, Semih
Eren and Ifakat Bak, saw the article in Sabah and got in contact with them,
explaining that 'after they read a summary they said that the story was
quite good and that it should be made into a film. Right now we're talking
with Warner Brothers, one of Hollywood's biggest film studios. It will
all become clear soon and if there's a film let's have Al Pacino play the role
of the hero.'

The hero of the book 'Provocateur, The Day of No Money' is Vedat
Warrington, the well-educated son of an American father and a Turkish
physicist mother. Vedat goes to New York, the money capital of the
world, gathers together young people and the unemployed and incites
street protests. The marches and slogans of 'Occupy Wall Street' are
even the same ones in the book. The protestors in the book occupy the
Brooklyn Bridge, just like in real life, and the protest's headquarters is
Manhattan, a photograph of which is on the book's cover.

Rough Landing, Mutual Sobriety Tests

drunk links to original article

(Haber Apron Webnews, 20 December 2011)

An Onur Air flight from Istanbul to Diyarbakır was directed to land at
Şanlıurfa's GAP Urfa Airport because of heavy fog and made a rough
landing. Both the passengers and the pilot were taken to the police
station.

According to claims, the incident that put the passengers and the pilot
in jail happened this way: The Onur Air flight left Istanbul last night at
18:45 with more than 220 passengers en route to Diyarbakır. But because
of heavy fog at Diyarbakır the plane was re-directed to Şanlıurfa GAP
airport.

The rough landing at Şanlıurfa, despite the weather being clear, caused
the passengers and crew to argue. The passengers demanded that the
State Airport Authority (DHMI)'s acting chief test the pilots for
alcohol and DHMI headquarters was duly informed. Not satisfied with
this result, the passengers went to the Airport Security Directorate
and requested an alcohol test.

Based on instructions from the prosecutor, police then invited the
pilot and co-pilot to come to the police station but the pilots said
they couldn't leave the airplane. The alcohol test was administered
on the plane after the pilots discussed the matter with Onur Air officials.

The passengers who had complained about the pilots were about ready
to head to Diyarbakır when the pilots counterattacked. The pilot,
a Greek named Merkeouris Spanas and the co-pilot, Volkan Özseyhan,
both of whom wouldn't leave the plane for the alcohol test, went to
the Airport Security Directorate and filed a complaint against the
passengers, saying that 'they had put flight safety in jeopardy.'

The passengers who complained were then subjected to an alcohol
test, at the behest of the prosecutor. The acting security chief pointed
to the complaining passengers and asked a flight attendant 'which one
put the flight in jeopardy?' but the flight attendant couldn't identify
anyone.

Neither the pilots nor the passengers were found to be drunk but
the passengers did not ultimately reach Diyarbakır untıl 03:30 in
the morning.

FBI Gets Their Man at Soup Shop in Adana

soup links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 21 December 2011)

Businessman Metin Atılan (51) was put under house arrest in Las Vegas
three years ago on the charge of trying to bribe an FBI agent. He escaped
by cutting the electronic bracelet on his arm but he has been found at a
soup shop in Adana.

Atılan has been on the 'most wanted' list of the international police
organization Interpol. After managing a restaurant at Incirlik Air Base in
Adana Atılan went to Las Vegas to work as a contractor where he
allegedly got millions of dollars of work by giving bribes. The FBI put
Atılan under surveillance.

According to claims, Atılan's wife A. Atılan gave a military officer in
charge of letting purchasing contracts a bribe of 4,966 USD. She also
tried to bribe FBI agent Eric J. Miller. On 5 February 2008, FBI agents
met with Metin Atılan in London, posing as US military contract officers.
Ten million dollars worth of work was agreed upon for a bribe of one
million dollars and Atılan gave them 30,000 USD in cash then and there.

Atılan was arrested after this incident but in May 2008 while under house
arrest in Las Vegas he cut the electronic tracking bracelet on his arm
and escaped. An arrest warrant was issued by the Colorado Attorney
General for Atılan, who had returned to Turkey. Teams from the Seyhan
District Security Directorate learned that Atılan was having tripe soup at
a soup shop in Adana and captured him. Metin Atılan will be returned to
the U.S.

Crane Pirate Extorts Ransom

crane links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 21 December 2011)

Bayram Saçıkara, also known as 'Crane Bayram', scales cranes in Ankara
and Istanbul and extorts money from companies by threatening 'if you
don't give me money I won't come down!' The day before yesterday he
took the stage in Istanbul. Up to now Saçıkara has climbed 15 cranes and
come down only after getting 5,000TL from each of the companies. This
time he went up the tallest crane at an office building construction site in
Istanbul and after getting 15,000TL deposited in his bank account he
descended and was taken into custody.

Previously, Saçıkara had climbed a crane near the Prime Minister's office
(in Ankara) and demanded to speak with the Prime Minister (Erdoğan).
Through the intercession of then-Foreign Minister and current President
Abdullah Gül, Saçıkara, the father of three children, was persuaded to
come down.  The day before yesterday he showed up in Levent, Istanbul.

Taking advantage of a security lapse, he climbed up the 75-meter crane
at the Özdilek fırm's construction site. The workers noticed him and
thought at first that it was a suicide attempt. Shortly afterwards the
matter was understood when Saçıkara demanded a ransom, saying 'if
you don't pay me 35,000TL I won't come down from the crane and
you can't do any work.' Saçıkara occupied the crane's cabin, drinking
water and eating field rations. Company officials immediately cut off
electricity from the crane and when Saçıkara began to get cold he asked
for an overcoat via radio.

In consideration of the fact that the crane rental costs 5,000TL per
hour and the loss of the laborers' work time, officials first offered
Saçıkara a job at the site and then 5,000TL but he refused. Police,
firefighters and medical crews followed the hostage situation all day
long both inside and outside the construction site. At the end of 10
hours Saçıkara agreed to accept 15,000TL to release the crane. After
the money was deposited in his account he came down and was taken
into custody by police.

Company officials filed a complaint, saying that their work had been
uspset because of Saçıkara's action and that they suffered 50,000TL
in damages. Saçıkara was taken to court on charges of making threats
and attempted suicide and released. The company will file a suit against
Saçıkara to recover its losses. The bank has asked for a court order
to return the money deposited in Saçıkara's account to the company.

Referee Blows Whistle on Thieves

field links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 19 December 2011)

Istanbul police set up an operation while a robbery gang was having a
football match. When a policeman wearing the referee's uniform blew
his whistle during the match and said 'everyone lie down!' the operation
began and police arrested nine members of the gang.

The police had acted after an increase in cigarette robberies at grocery
stores in Istanbul neighborhoods. The nine-person gang entered stores
with the pretext that they were seeking help for anemic children and
instead stole cigarettes. After three months of surveillance police got a
tip that the thieves planned to have a football match last Wednesday at
a field in Şişli.

Taking strict security measures around the pitch, a policeman in the
guise of a referee took the field to determine whether or not the thieves
had come to the scene. The match then began with two sides of six
players each, none of them realizing that the referee was a policeman
from Istanbul Security.

At the 35th minute of the match, which was hard-fought and the score
3-2, the referee blew his whistle and told everyone to lie down. The
players didn't understand what was happening and were shocked to
see the police come on the field. Of the players lying on the field,
Selçuk K. (30), Nihat Ş.(29), Gencay T.(30), Murat K.(32), Sinan K.
(30) and Aytekin S. (38) were taken into custody.

Also taken into custody were Ali S.(25), Nihal S. (54) and Dilek S.
(40), who had come to Istanbul for robbery, at their home in Bursa.
They were brought back to Istanbul. The suspects were charged with
64 counts of theft. They denied the charges when they gave statements
at the Istanbul Public Safety Pickpocket and Fraud Bureau but were
all transported to Çağlayan Jail.

Falsely Fingered But Still Jailed

finger links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 19 December 2011)

Taxi driver Ömer Tosun was stabbed in the heart on the night of 18
September 2010 by a passenger he picked up in Sultanbeyli, Istanbul.
Miraculously, Tosun survived and told police that 'I bit the hand of the
guy that stabbed me.' But this statement has meant trouble for Ismail Reis.

At the time that Tosun was knifed, Reis (26) was five kilometers away,
having crashed his car into a MOBESE (traffice surveillance system) pole.
Reis cut his pinky finger on a broken headlight and went to a hospital to
get stitches. Concurrently, acting on Tosun's statement that he had bitten
the hand of his attacker, police searched area hospitals for people who
may have gone there for stitches. Reis was taken into custody 13 days
later.

Tosun said in his statement that his assailant was '19 years old, middle
height and dark skinned.' When he saw the hospital video images of Reis
he said 'there's the attacker' and Reis (26) was arrested. The case is being
tried in the 3rd Serious Crimes Court in Kartal, where a 20 year sentence
is being sought for Reis. The court has refused Reis's request that the
MOBESE camera images be examined. And even though it has been
determined that the blood found in the taxi of Tosun's assailant was not
that of Reis, Reis is still being held.

Reis has adamently requested that he be brought to the Forensic Medicine
Council for an examination of the cut on his hand and 10 months after his
incarceration he has been brought there. He is hopeful that a report will
come out that will prove his innocence.

See Cat in Dream, Beat Your Wife

dream links to original article

(Habertürk Newspaper, 20 December 2011)

Ö.Y. (36), the wife of businessman B.Y., a graduate of Galatasaray
University who lives in Fatih, Istanbul, complained to the police that her
husband beat her because of a dream he had. Ö.Y., a graduate of Istanbul
University, explained the situation as follows: 44-year old B.Y. argued
with his wife a while ago, saying that money had been stolen from a
locked box in the house and even accusing her of being the thief.

Ö.Y., the mother of six children, could not convince her husband of 17
years that she had not stolen the money. The other morning when B.Y.
woke up he told his wife that he had seen a cat in a dream. He then got
up, went to the bookcase and retrieved a book about interpreting dreams,
in which he found an explanation for the dream he had.

B.Y. said that seeing a cat in a dream means that the servant in the
house has stolen some money. He then attacked his wife who was still
in bed. Ö.Y. fled from the attack and filed a complaint with the police.
B.Y. was taken into custody and was released on the orders of the
prosecutor after giving a statement.

Cleopatra Beckons, He Swims 5 Miles

swim links to related article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 18 December 2011)

At 1500 hours yesterday the storm and rain that began in Muğla in the
morning was continuing. There was no word from the fishing boat 'Ay &
Su' (Moon & Water) that was caught in the storm in the open water of
the Gulf of Gökova.

The boat's owner, Mustafa Karakan, was, however, able to send a radio
message to the Coast Guard, saying 'I'm opposite Turnalı Bay. Save me!
The boat is sinking!' The Coast Guard, though, couldn't find Karakan,
who was later found on Cleopatra Island after having swum 5 miles to
get there.

Camel Cameo - Must See Video

//ed. note: thanks to alert contributor Renan Snowden at UMinn. for this
gem//

camel links to original article and video


(Sabah Newspaper, 16 December 2011)

A Kanal Urfa TV team, based in Şanlıurfa, came under attack by a camel
while doing a program at the Harran historical site. The camel first
caressed the guests but then attacked the news director. The incident
was reflected in the camera second by second.

The interesting incident occurred today at Harran, which has the world's
oldest university and hosts many Turkish and foreign tourists. Kanal
Urfa anchorman Ekrem Demirbilek was doing a news program about
the historic Harran district and while chatting with citizens who had
come from other provinces a camel came up to one of the guests,
wanting some attention.

The guest became uncomfortable and tried to move away from the
camel, which, after failing to get affection from the guest, attacked
Kanal Urfa News Director Kadir Çelikan. After suffering the camel's
attack, Çelikan ran 10 meters, got into a vehicle and found safety.
The incident was caught on camera, second by second. The camel
was quieted by its owner and led away from the scene of the
incident.



/

Actor Takes Vengeful Show on the Road

actor links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 16 December 2011)

Movie actor and producer Ferhat Gündoğdu has been taken into custody
in Aksaray for allegedly beating his wife Zeynep Gündoğdu, who had
fled their home and gone to Adana. Gündoğdu was arrested en route to
Istanbul with Zeynep whose hands and feet were taped. Additionally,
three individuals who helped Gündoğdu were taken into custody.

Aksaray Provincial Security Directorate teams stopped a Jeep while
making routine traffic checks at the entrance to Aksaray, along the
Adana-Aksaray highway. The police heard a woman crying out 'Save
me! They're kidnapping me!' from inside the Jeep and when they
checked they found her with her hands and feet taped together. The
police rescued the woman and took the four persons in the car into
custody.

One of those arrested was Ferhat Gündoğdu (42), a film actor and
producer, and the woman involved is his wife Zeynep (34) who
had bruises on various parts of her body. She told police that her
husband and his cohorts had beaten and kidnapped her. Along
with Ferhat, Yıldırım I. (23), Ismet Y. (49) and Adem Y. (28)
were arrested and taken to jail.

In her statement, Zeynep explained that she had argued with her
husband and fled their home, seeking refuge with her relatives
in Adana. Subsequently, Ferhat and his men came and beat her,
then they taped her hands and feet and tried to take her back to
Istanbul.

Zeynep was taken to Aksaray State Hospital for treatment
where it was determined that she had injuries to her face from
punches and her hands and legs from the tape.

//just who is this Ferhat Gündoğdu??//

ferhat links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 17 December 2011)

Actor-producer Ferhat Gündoğdu, who kidnapped his 34-year old wife
Zeynep - taping her hands and feet together - after she fled their home
and sought refuge with her relatives in Adana because Ferhat beat her,
has an interesting record as a sinema artist and criminal. He was arrested
last year for trying to bribe a traffic policeman in Istanbul and spent
time in prison.

Ferhat repeatedly beat his wife, who was treated for psychological
problems for a period of time because of the violence she suffered.
Ferhat is a native of Sarıkamış in Kars province and married his
cousin Zeynep when she was 13 years old. According to sources
close to the family, Zeynep had previously tried to escape because
she was abused by her son who took after his father.

Ferhat, along with three friends, took Zeynep from Adana, bound
her hands and feet with tape and put her in the back of a Jeep. He
was caught by police during a routine traffic check on the Adana-
Aksaray highway. Ferhat runs a cement plant in Istanbul and has
played the lead role in films he has produced himself.

Monkey Business in Alanya

monkey links to original article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 13 December 2011)

In Çıplaklı town of Antalya's Alanya district, a monkey that stole food
last friday made its way into a chicken coop and killed some chickens.
The monkey's secret has now been solved. Town officers tried mightily
but in vain to capture the creature which, it turns out, was stolen from
Kemer town.

Cuma Avcı, who runs an internet cafe in Çamyuva town, claims that the
monkey belongs to him but that it was stolen, along with its cage, a
week ago from his backyard. Avcı explained that the 8-year old monkey's
name is Haydar and he said that 'a week ago a thief entered my home, stole
some money and jewelry, along with the monkey and his cage which
were in the garden. I filed a complaint with the Gendarmerie. I've been
looking for it for a week and the Gendarmerie called me to tell me that
a story had been published about a monkey in Alanya's Çıplaklı town.
I then watched the news report on the internet and saw that the monkey
has a scar under its neck just like mine. The monkey definitely belongs
to me.'

Avcı stated that as long as food or drink wasn't taken away from him
the monkey wouldn't attack anyone and he said he would go to Alanya
to search for the monkey. Avcı also explained how he came to own the
monkey: 'A monkey entered the garden of my home in the Uzunçınar
neighborhood in 2000. I started to watch the monkey and afterwards
the monkey gave birth to four offspring. I sent two of them to
Diyarbakır and one other died. Haydar is the last of the four that
mother monkey bore. I had an identity card issued from the vet and
named him Şeftali (peach) but we kept calling it Haydar and that
name stuck. Contrary to the news report, he wouldn't eat chickens.
He'd play with them,pluck their feathers and jump on them but he
wouldn't eat them. He may come up alongside someone and steal
their wallet though. He's a bit naughty.'

The Touch of Money

money links to original article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 13 December 2011)

In Aydın, tailor Kenan Güler (56) entered the line in front of an ATM
machine on 15 November to pay his wife's 500TL credit card bill. At
this point Mehmet Sarıkaş came up to Güler and said 'is everything ok?
Why do you have your hand in your pocket?'

In response, Güler explained that 'there's money there and I'm holding
it so it doesn't get stolen.' Hearing this Sarıkaş said that 'I just got out
of prison and I haven't touched money for a long time. Let me just
touch it.' Güler then gave Sarıkaş the money and Sarıkaş ran off with it.
Upon Güler's complaint to the police Sarıkaş, who has a record for
theft, was caught and arrested.

Extreme Camel Wrestling

camels links to original article

(Doğan News Agency, 11 December 2011)

The 8th annual camel wrestling competition held this year in Mumcular
town in Muğla's Bodrum district was the scene of some colorful events.
With the income from the wrestling matches the town will buy an
ambulance and motorcycles for the police.

The camel wrestling matches were held at the Mumcular Town Football
Field and 145 camels from Izmir, Aydın, Denizli, Manisa, Çanakkale,
Muğla, Antalya and Balikesir participated. In beautiful weather, some
five thousand people watched the matches, including Bodrum District
Chief Mehmet Gödekmerdan, Bodrum Mayor Mehmet Kocadan of the
Democrat Party and Mumcular Mayor Birol Aydın of the Nationalist
Action Party. A few foreign tourists were noticed among the crowd.

Since the weather was nice some people decided to have a picnic while
watching the matches and cooked camel sausages. The fierce clashes
between the camels generated lots of excitement, with the judges and
camel owners having difficulty separating the camels from time to
time. There were some tense moments as some owners and judges
traded harsh words. Additionally, one of the camels broke through the
barbed wire surrounding the field and headed toward the spectators,
sparking a panic. One woman who was frightened by the prospect
of being crushed fainted and was taken by ambulance to the Mumcular
Health Office for treatment.

The District Chief''s Trophy was won by 'Kahraman Ege' (Hero of the
Aegean) and the Mayor's Trophy was shared by two camels, 'Çılgın
Deniz' (Rough Sea) and 'Eren' (Saint). The trophies were presented to
the owners by Bodrum District Chief Mehmet Gödekmerdan and
Mumcular Mayor Birol Aydın.

Tickets for the event were 20TL and the resulting income will be used
to buy an ambulance for the town and motorcycles for the police.
District Chief Gödekmerdan said in his remarks that 'I salute everyone
who works at these kinds of festivals, which bring people from seven
to seventy together. You let everyone who lives in the district enjoy
a beautiful weekend amidst a holiday atmosphere.'

Diplotrash - Walking the Walk

diplotrash links to original article

(Netbilgini Website, 10 December 2011)

The Press and Cultural Attache at the Dutch Consulate General in Istanbul,
Daniel Stork, loves Istanbul and he's helping the paper collectors! The
Dutch diplomat hits the streets at midnight with his handcart and gathers
paper he finds in garbage cans and in front of offices until 5 AM. He says
that 'the paper collectors are people of this city and I wanted to show that
they shouldn't be shunned.' The other paper collectors thanked Stork for
his sensitivity and commented that 'we wish that our politicians were this
sensitive toward us.'

Occupy Starbucks!

starbucks links to original article

(IMC News, 7 December 2011)

Students at Bosphorus University have protested the opening of a Starbucks
on the south campus. The students occupied the Starbucks and spent the
night there.

The students brought food and drinks from home, put them on the tables
at Starbucks and initiated the protest. They had gathered in front of the
south campus library and first marched to the rector's building where they
made the following declaration: 'with the opening of the school to global
companies the campus has become of market where multinational firms
can operate there commercial activities.'

After making the statement, the students marched to Starbucks and shouted
'we're occupying our school'. They distributed the food they brought from
the Starbucks kitchen. Academicians gave support to the students' action.

Whoops! A Bit Too Generous

generous links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 7 December 2011)

Following the incident where the Sudemir family of Batman gave a pillow
filled with 12,000TL worth of gold to an aid convoy for Van (following
the recent earthquake there), the Boduroğlu family of Ankara has become
a victim of absentmindedness.

The Boduroğlu family had sewn gold into a sweater to hide it from thieves
when they went on vacation. But forgetting about it, they sent the sweater
to the earthquake victims in Van and realized the mistake a month later.
Father Ahmet Boduroğlu is retired from the state railroad company and
his son Korhan works as a lighting technician at the state theater. They
gathered up unused winter clothing and gave it to the state theater's
aid drive for the earthquake victims.

Ahmet Boduroğlu explained the dilemma: 'We had sewn a red bag
containing seven gold bracelets into the underarm of the sweater. While
we weren't at home Korhan gave all the unused sweaters away without
realizing this. When he became aware of it he tried to find out where
the aid had been sent. The state theater told us that like all the other
aid it had been sent to the Van state theater company, from where it
went to needy villagers. These bracelets were to be presents to our
unmarried children for their weddings. Everything has been lost.'

Superman, Spiderman, Batman...and Vatman!

vatman links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 5 December 2011)

A suit has been filed in connection with a fight that broke out between the
vatman (tram conductor) and two passengers he closed the doors on while
they were trying to board the tram in Beyazit (Istanbul).

According to the statement regarding the suit, which was opened based
on complaints from both sides, as passengers were trying to board the tram
during rush hour on 20 May 2011, vatman Necmi Yıldız closed the doors.
Two passengers, Salih Alkan and Aytaç Yavuzcan, got their feet caught
between the doors and were slightly injured.

Alkan and Yavucan then went to the conductor's cabin and cursed at
vatman Yıldız. Both sides filed complaints about each other. The
prosecutor filed charges against vatman Yıldız for 'causing the injury
of more than one person through negligence' and asked for a sentence
of between 6 months and two years. Alkan and Yavuzcan were charged
with 'publicly insultıng', which carries a sentence of between 4 months
and two years.

So Much for History...Ancient Bridge Trashed

bridge links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 1 December 2011)

Officials have gone into action after a new concrete bridge was built in Kars
at the request of villagers who wanted it instead of the ancient one already
in place. Upon the initiative of art historian Dr. Ali Murat Aktemur, the
Kars Council for the Protection of Culture and Nature has started an
inquiry about the incident.

A scandal has been generated in Taşköprü, a village of 200 people, tied
to Arpaçay district in Kars province. Village chief Bahri Daşdemir took
note of the complaints of villagers to the effect that the historic bridge
built by Urartu King Sarduri the Second in 739 B.C. did not meet their
needs. So two years ago Daşdemir had the ancient bridge destroyed. In
2009, prior to local elections, Daşdemir applied to the district chief of
Arpaçay and the district chief had a concrete bridged built in place of
the ancient one.

A short while ago, Dr. Ali Murat Aktemur went to the village to do
research about the Urartus but when he learned that the bridge had
been destroyed he went into shock. The director of the Kars Council
for the Protection of Culture and Nature, Hüsnü Genç, said that
'we will start administrative actions concerning those responsible
for destroying the old bridge and building the new one.'

Imam's Flock Help Locate His Stolen Car

imam links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 3 December 2011)

In Istanbul's Sultanbeyli neighborhood, Imam M.Ş. parked his car with the
key in it in front of his mosque and it was stolen. M.Ş. alerted the police
and during his evening sermon he told his followers that his car had been
stolen and that any kind of theft is a sin.

After the service someone came up to M.Ş. and indicated that a minibus
driver might have information about these kinds of thefts. The two then
went to see the minibus driver who directed them to M.K., whom the
driver knew from the neighborhood, for discussions on the matter. M.Ş.
went to meet with M.K. and asked for help. M.K. made some phone
calls and located the Imam's stolen automobile.

However, the thieves said they wanted 1,500TL. They instructed M.Ş.
not to contact the police and told him that if he brought them the money
he would find out where his car was. Nevertheless, M.Ş. alerted the
police to the situation and they took suspects M.K. and G.D. into
custody. During the subsequent intrerrogation (!) the location of the car
was determined. In addition to M.Ş.'s car, another stolen vehicle was
found at the same location.

Processing of M.K. and G.D. was completed at the Car Theft Bureau
of the Istanbul Public Security Directorate and they were transported
to jail. Police are seeking another person in connection with the
incident.

Marital Woes: Before & After

knife links to original article

//before...//

(Sabah Newspaper, 1 December 2011)

In Kağıthane, Istanbul, P.O. (20) said to her waiter boyfriend M.E.K. (25)
'close your eyes, I'm going to give you something' and then stabbed him in
the chest. M.E.K. had promised to marry P.O., having taken her
virginity, but he subsequently reneged. M.E.K. was seriously wounded
and P.O. was arrested when she went to the hospital to express her regret
to M.E.K. A charge carrying a sentence of nine years was filed against P.O.

According to the indictment prepared by the Istanbul Public Prosecutor,
P.O. and M.E.K., who both work as waiters at the same restaurant in
Kağıthane, started to have a relationship about 7 or 8 months ago. During
this time M.E.K. won P.O.'s heart with a promise to marry her. On the
night of 3 November, when the stabbing incident occurred, M.E.K. had
come to P.O.'s home and spent the night there. In the morning, as M.E.K.
was leaving for work P.O. brought up the marriage issue, saying 'you
said you'd marry me. So let's get married.' In response, M.E.K. had said
'I'm going to do my military service. You do what you want to do.'

Hearing this P.O. was shocked but concealed her anger. She went to the
kitchen, got a knife which she hid behind her back and came back to
M.E.K. P.O. then said 'close you eyes. I'm going to give you something.'
When M.E.K. did so P.O. suddenly plunged the knife she was holding
into his chest. In great pain, M.E.K. grabbed the knife from his girlfriend,
ran outside and took a taxi to the hospital where he was treated for life-
threatening wounds.

P.O. felt remorse following the incident and wanted to find out about her
boyfriend's condition so she went to the hospital but was arrested there
by police. In her statement she said 'he deceived me into loving him with
a promise of marriage. He took my virginity but since we were going to
marry I put up with the situation and didn't complain. When he said he
wouldn't marry me I grabbed the knife to scare him but as we struggled
the knife accidently plunged into him.'

P.O. was transported to the prosecutor who completed the interrogation
and filed a charge carrying a sentence of 5 to 9 years for the crime of
'wounding'. The trial will begin in the days ahead at the Istanbul Court
of First Instance.


//and after...//

GPS links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 1 December 2011)

In Isparta, the Yurdakul couple, who got married four years ago, started
to live apart eight months ago. Fadime Yurdakul (21), who has sued
for divorce, filed a complaint with the Halıkent Police Station the day
before yesterday, saying that her husband, who doesn't want to divorce,
was harrassing her. At about 1800 Fadime Yurdakul left the police
station and began walking toward the market when Serdar Yurdakul (28),
who was following the woman in his car, stopped his vehicle in the
back of the Isparta Governor's Office.

Serdar Yurdakul said he wanted to make up and tried to get his wife into
his car. She refused so he forceably put her into the trunk of the car
and fled. Security forces, reacting to the news from bystanders, learned
from the car's license plate that it had been rented from a company in
Antalya. In a short time, officials were able to pinpoint the location of
the vehicle thanks to the GPS mounted in it.

It was determined that the car was parked in front of a factory on the
Isparta-Eğirdir highway so a large number of police were sent there.
Nevertheless, Serdar Yurdakul tried to flee in spite of warnings from
police for him to stop. Units at the Eğirdir District Gendarmerie Command
at the entrance to the district heard about the situation and blocked the
road. However, Yurdakul was able to flee from here, as well. After a long
chase,the car was brought to a halt at the Eğirdir Port location and Serdar
Yurdakul was taken into custody.  The young woman in the trunk was
set free.

The couple had previously lived in Antalya, have no children and their
divorce suit has been under discussion in recent days. Serdar Yurdakul
works for a logistics firm.

One Close Shave Too Many

shave links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 1 December 2011)

Textile worker Fabuk B. (41) was involved in a traffic argument six years
ago in Bostancı, during which he killed one person and wounded another
in their pickup truck. Thanks to the alertness of a policeman he has been
caught. The policeman from the Murder Bureau went to the same barber
he always goes to and recognized the person next to him getting a shave as
the suspect.

The incident in question occurred on 13 October 2005 on the E-5 highway
in Bostancı, when textile worker Faruk B. argued with two people in a
pickup truck who had cut him off on the road. The argument quickly
grew into a fight, with both parties cursing each other. Since there was
heavy traffic on the road, the two cars would advance a bit and the
individuals would get out of their vehicles from time to time to continue
the fight.

According to the statements of eye witnesses, when traffic came to a
halt the persons in the pickup truck got out and started to break the
windows of Faruk B.'s car. At this point, Faruk B. took out his pistol
and started firing at the pickup truck occupants. Çoşkun Karataş (37)
was killed during the incident and Ferhat Aslaner (37) was injured.
Faruk B. then disappeared.

Thanks to the alertness of the Murder Bureau policeman Faruk B. who
has been sought for six years, was arrested. The policeman went to
the same barber he always goes to in Zeytinburnu and recognized the
person getting a shave next to him as Faruk B. The policeman didn't
leave the shop after his haircut but instead asked the suspect, who
was still getting his shave, for identification.

The policeman realized that the identity card Faruk B. had shown
him was fake so he took Faruk B., whose face was still covered with
shaving lather, into custody. When taken to the Murder Bureau it
was confirmed that Faruk B. was in fact the suspect police have
been searching for for six years.  After formalities, the suspect was
taken to jail.
   

Prophet's Heir's Profit Motive

prophet links to related article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 30 November 2011)

In Kocaeli's Gebze district, Mustafa Mallı allegedly identified himself as a
descendent of the prophet (Muhammed) in 2008, promised 1049 families
that they would be homeowners, collected gold and foreign exchange that
these families had accumulated and then vanished.

Mallı had told the victims 'we come from the family of the Prophet.
Buying a house from us is like buying one from heaven' and made similar
promises. Some 296 of the family member filed a complaint against Mallı
and an arrest warrant was issued. Yesterday he was captured.

As Mallı was being transported to the Gebze Courthouse yesterday
about 250 victims who heard that he had been arrested flocked there .
One woman said that 'I sacrificed my family's bread and gave him more
than 50 gold coins.' Mallı gave a statement to the prosecutor and was
incarcerated by the duty court.

Driver Panics, Flees but 'Injured' are Mannequins

mannequins links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 26 November 2011)

In Keşan district of Edirne, a car with plate number 45 HB 6893 went
out of control at high speed around 1 in the morning, broke the window
of a clothing store and entered. The unknown driver, who was slightly
injured, left his car and fled the scene.

Those who witnessed the accident thought that the lifeless mannequins
that fell to the ground in the store were real people and panicked.
Police and medical teams were summoned, with the thought that there
were injured people at the accident scene. Shortly afterwards, though,
it was determined that those lying on the ground were lifeless
mannequins.

A Very Complicated Revenge Story

revenge links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 24 November 2011)

An unbelievable story of revenge has emerged following the murder of
a father and daughter in the Inegöl district of Bursa. The murder suspect,
Alaadin Kaya, went to the home of Emrah Çetin, who was allegedly having
an affair with Kaya's wife, and killed Çetin's father and sister. Police have
captured Kaya, who said 'I regret it. Noone should die like that.'

According to claims, Emrah Çetin (22), the son of Yakup Çetin (52) who
is the father of seven children, had an affair with Elif Kaya, who is married
and the mother of three children. Three months ago Alaadin Kaya (38)
learned about the affair and sent his wife to Ankara, where her family
lives, and filed a divorce suit.

Emrah Çetin's older sister Serap Keskin sent a message to Elif Kaya (28),
telling her to 'keep away from my brother.' Two months ago Elif Kaya
returned to Bursa, stabbed Serap Keskin during an argument and was
sent to prison. The day before yesterday Alaadin Kaya attended the
hearing for his wife and then went to the home of Yakup Çetin where
he killed Yakup Çetin and his daughter Semra Çetin (21).

Evidence Room Chief Duped But Thief Gets Nabbed

theft links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 24 November 2011)

An interesting robbery occurred yesterday at the Judicial Forensic Medical
Center in Istanbul's Yenibosna district. An individual around 30 years old
came to the Chemical Speciality Office, where the evidence for critical cases,
murders and death incidents is held, with measuring tape and other supplies.
He told everyone 'Quick, get out of here. I'm going to install a drinking
fountain and I have to set it in silicon.'  The thief took valuables and money
and disappeared.

The unknown intruder moved past security freely and first went to the
office of Chemical Specialty Office chief Dr. Mahmut Aşırdizer, advising
him to leave his office while he installed the drinking fountain. The clever
thief then stole the wallet, cellphone and other valuables he found in
Dr. Aşırdiver's drawer, desk and jacket. Using the same technique, he
robbed the personnel in other rooms.

The robbery came to light when a message came to Dr. Aşırdiver's
cellphone (!) alerting him that a large amount of money had been
withdrawn from his bank via his credit card. It was understood, as well,
that gold purchased with money collected for the wedding next month
of a worker in the Chemical Specialty Office went missing. Police
took possession of video images related to the incident.

//The rest of the story...//

capture links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 25 November 2011)

A person has been taken into custody in connection with the robbery
incident at the Chemical Specialty Office of the Judicial Forensic
Medical Center. Police determined the license plate of the vehicle
used by the suspect who allegedly stole cellphones, wallets and
jewelry from personnel in the office in Istanbul's Yenibosna district.

Police learned that the vehicle had been rented in Avcılar and an
operation was mounted there, resulting in Gürsoy E., who had a
fake identity card with the name Cihan A., being taken into
custody.  The suspect has a record of 25 robberies in police files
and was incarcerated at Ankara's Sincan Open Prison for his
involvement in a robbery in Bahçelievler that occurred in 2006.
He had been released on leave 22 days ago but did not return
to the prison. The suspect was identified by personnel from the
Judicial Forensic Medical Center.

Furthermore, the Judicial Forensic Medical Center denied reports
that material that would determine the cause of death of Kaşif
Kozanoğlu, who became ill and died in Silvri Prison on 12
November, may have been tainted during the robbery. In a
statement it was said that 'the material in question was held
in a laboratory separate from the robbery scene, which has a
card-controlled door.'

pavyon links to a related article

(Sabah Newspaper, 27 November 2011)

Gürsoy Erinci (31), who robbed the Judicial Forensic Medical
Center in Yenibosna, where the evidence for critical cases is kept,
on 22 November was captured while enjoying himself at a 'pavyon'
(cheap nightclub). Erinci explained that 'I was working at a company
that supplied water to the Judicial Forensic Medical Center before
I went to prison. Once in a while I brought the water there myself
so I identified myself as a company member and entered. After I
left I bought a cellphone money card and a suit with the credit card.
I also cashed in the jewelry.'

On 22 November, Erinci had entered the office of E.A. and took
2,000TL worth of jewelry from her handbag. Then he went to the
office of the chief, Dr. Mahmut Aşırdizer, and stole the wallet in
the drawer there.

Slick Policework Traps Rapist on Balcony

slick links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 23 November 2011)

In Antalya's Aksu district, Ramazan A. was sought by police in regard
to a claim that he and 16 friends had raped K.O. (28) whom they had
kidnapped. Thanks to a plan designed by the police he has been captured.

Plainclothes police traced the suspect to an ironworks shop in the
Döşemealtı Industrial City. With the pretext of having some ironwork
done for a balcony, the police went to Ramazan A.'s shop and talked
with him about it.

The suspect, who identified himself as Soner A., was taken by car
to see the purported balcony work. By taking Ramazan A.'s finger-
prints from the car and the balcony police were able to definitively
identify Ramazan A. and arrest him.

  

Drunken Libyans' Istanbul Night Out

libyans links to original article

(Habertürk Newspaper, 22 November 2011)

Two Libyan opposition fighters were brought to Istanbul from Libya for
medical treatment at a private hospital. First, though, the two got beaten
up at a bar and then they claimed they received poor treatment at the
hospital they were taken to after the fight.

Libyan opposition fighters Ebu Aisha Muhammed and Abdül Manan
Ebu Gül went to a bar in Beyoğlu for a good time. Later Muhammed
got into an argument with the bar workers over the bill. The argument
escalated into fighting and both Muhammed and Gül were injured and
taken to Taksim Training and Research Hospital where they argued
with the doctors and security personnel whom they claimed weren't
paying enough attention to them.

The police were called to the hospital and brought the two Libyans
under control.  Muhammed made a statement to the press with the
assistance of officials from the Libyan Istanbul Consulate, saying
that he had been beaten at the bar and that 4,000 Euros, along with
his cellphone, was taken from him. Muhammed added that he
received poor treatment at the hospital, where he stabbed with an
injector in various parts of his body.

Muhammed stated that a bullet has struck the head of his friend
Gül during the fighting in Libya and that the bullet was still in
Gül's head. According to Muhammed, despite telling the hospital
workers that he didn't want Gül to be struck in the head Gül
was nevertheless hit in the head (!). Muhammed added '(Prime
Minister) Erdoğan, where are you? We're being treated badly.
Help us!'

Ebu Gül had been trasported to the hospital in an unconscious
state by a medical team. Taksim Training and Research Hospital
officials stated that Muhammed and Gül had attacked the nurses
who were caring for them and threatened a nurse and the relatives
of some patients with a needle-nosed injector. According to
hospital officials, security personnel intervened at this point
but did not use violence.

Blood samples were taken from Muhammed and Gül, whom
hospital officials claimed had imbibed excessive amounts of
alcohol.

Tender Trap Snares Businessman

trap links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 21 November 2011)

Here's how an interesting incident that occurred in Antalya developed:
a businessman from Manisa, M.A., got a call on his cellphone about a
month ago and developed a relationship with the woman who called.
The woman invited M.A. to come to Antalya, which he did, and after
meeting her they went to a house in the Muratpaşa district.

M.A. explained that 'we drank some alcohol and started to make love.
At this point the door opened and two men entered. One of them
said to me 'Who are you?! What are you doing with my wife?!' and
then he attacked me. After they beat me they threatened me and made
me sign two negotiable vouchers. They also robbed me of the money
I had on me and took my cellphone. Then they let me go.'

M.A. reported the incident to the police who first raided the house
where M.A. had gone with the woman but it had been vacated. The
investigation continued and Berran Ç., Ahmet K. and Yasin V. were
taken into custody at a hiding place. A search at the scene produced
M.A.'s cellphone and the two negotiable vouchers the suspects had
made him sign.

Bilking Dead Mother-in-Law For Nine Years

ruhiye links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 21 November 2011)

In Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, a charge has been filed against Sedat Süsler,the
son-in-law of Ruhiye Çetik who died at the age of 88 nine years ago,
claiming that Süsler has been collecting the dead woman's retirment salary
all this time.

In a statement to the Bakırköy Public Prosecutor, which has begun an
inquiry into the matter based on a tip, Süsler said that 'When my mother
-in-law died in 2002 we applied to BAĞKUR (a retirement fund) to
have her salary linked to her daughter Ayşen Çetik. But BAĞKUR
stated that since Ayşen was already insured her mother's salary could
not be transferred to her. Subsequently, in 2003 I drew some death
money (sic 'ölüm parası') - I can't remember the amount - from my
mother-in-law's account using her card. I withdrew this money in
Bakırköy and gave it to Ayşen Çetik.'

The prosecutor has filed a charge against Sedat Süsler for the crime of
fraud.

Health Care: Hospital Crumbling; Patient Left Up a Tree

collapse links to original article

(Akşam Newspaper, 19 November 2011)

While a possible earthquake in Istanbul is being talked about, five sections of
the Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty Hospital have been
evacuated because of the threat of collapse. Reportedly, the night before last
cracking sounds were heard in the columns, stemming from construction
underway nearby.

Cracks in the columns and foundations of the buildings housing  oncology,
the hemotology-dialysis unit, the children's polyclinic, the ear/nose/throat
polyclinic and the nursery were found. The patients were transferred to
different sections and other hospitals, while the equipment was removed.
The affected buildings were cordoned off with signs reading 'entry is
dangerous and forbidden.'


tree links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 20 November 2011)

This is real, not a joke...in Adana Muzaffer Beyazgeyik (46) went to a
health center, complaining about an influenza infection. After he was
examined a serum flow was attached to his arm. Shortly afterwards,
however, Beyazgeyik was told that 'work hours are over' and he was
ushered outside. So he hung the serum drip on a lemon tree branch
and waited for the health workers to come back from lunch.

The incident occurred the day before yesterday in Doğankent when
Beyazgeyik, suffering from weakness and a headache, went to the
health center. He was diagnosed with a gribal infection and a serum
flow was attached to his arm. But a while later one of the center's
workers told Beyazgeyik that 'it's 12 o'clock. We're closing, wait
outside.'

Beyazgeyik was bewildered by this but, despite the rain, he was
forced to wait outside. He hung the serum bottle on a branch of
a lemon tree in the garden and waited an hour for the workers to
return. Beyazgeyik began to feel even worse and informed his
relatives. After the treatment he went to the district chief's
office to complain. Meanwhile, the Assistant Health Director
for Adana Province, Saadettin Özsürekçigil, stated that they
have started an inquiry into the matter.

From Dust We Come and (Saw)Dust We Will Return

saw links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 19 November 2011)

In Denizli's Pınarkent town Mustafa Kırdı (51), the father of three children,
began to cut wood from the pear tree in front of his house the night before
last at about 2000 hours, using a power saw. While trying to cut a
particularly hard branch the saw in Kırdı's hand reportedly slipped
suddenly and struck the throat of his wife Nurten Kırdı (49) who was
gathering the cut wood. Nurten Kırdı's throat was cut and she died at
the scene. The Gendarmerie took Mustafa Kırdı into custody.

Doctors, Not Janitors, Get the Girls

doctor links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 17 November 2011)

Hasan A. worked as a janitor for a while at Haseki Training and Research
Hospital in Istanbul and then returned in doctor's clothing after he left the
job. Hasan A. walked around the hospital without attracting anyone's
attention (!) and began introducing himself as a doctor to patients'
female relative that he zeroed in on.

Hasan A. met S.K., who came to the hospital to visit her sick father, in
this manner. He brought the woman to the orthopedic storeroom, which
he told her was his office, and engaged in sex with S.K. there. The
hospital's security personnel entered the room at this time and caught
the two 'in the act.'

The security personnel realized that Hasan K. was not a doctor and
informed the police and a Region A Security Team from the Public
Safety Directorate came and took Hasan K., who was wearing a doctor's
frock with the name 'Dr. Mert' on it, into custody. Hasan A. claimed
that he already knew the woman he was caught with. He was released
without a statement being taken.

Starstruck Crook Foiled by Photo-op

photo-op links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 15 November 2011)

Yahya Eminoğlu (35) resigned from the presidency of the Gebze Musicians
Association in Kocaeli a short while ago. He withdrew 70,000TL in credit
from a bank using a false identity and documents. When bank officials
became suspicious and reexamined Eminoğlu's paperwork they realized the
falsification and notified the police.

Eminoğlu was tracked by police who noticed that he put photographs of
himself with singer Ahu Tuğba that he had taken at the Golden Orange
Film Festival held in Antalya last month, on his Facebook page profile.
Based on this, police determined that Eminoğlu was in Antalya and they
went there to arrest him. Eminoğlu was brought before the court, charged
with 'first degree fraud' and incarcerated.

Holy Şit! Robbed on Feast's Eve 3X's

şit links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 14 November 2011)

In Maltepe, Istanbul, thieves who have broken into a market for the past
three years on the eve of the holiday (Feast of Sacrifice/Kurban Bayramı)
did it again in the middle of the night. The incident was recorded by security
cameras. Two robbers wearing masks broke the door to the store at 0545
hours, went to a compartment under the safe where the cigarettes are kept
and took as many cigarettes as they could carry to their cars.

The thieves constantly surveilled their surroundings and didn't go outside if
a car passed along the street, in order not to draw attention to themselves.
At the last minute, one of the robbers noticed the security camera and hit it,
hoping to prevent the camera from recording. They stole all the cigarettes
in the store in five minutes and disappeared with 20,000TL worth of goods.

Ercan Şit (pronounced 'shit'), who noted that his store has been robbed for
the last three years on the eve of the holiday, pleaded with officials to catch
the thieves who have been plaguing him. The police investigation concerning
the matter is continuing.

Wife Frames Wayward Hubby

frame-up links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 10 November 2011)

In Antalya, a caller informed the police via the emergency 155 line that one
Kenan A. who lives in Serik was involved in the narcotics trade. Police then
stopped Kenan A.'s minibus at the entrance to Antalya and during a search
found 60 grams of hashish in ten packets and 12 Ecstacy pills hidden under
the front seat flooring. Kenan A. was taken into custody for questioning and
evidence was retrieved from the minibus.

The seized material and traces taken from the minibus were compared with
the blood and fingerprints of Kenan A. but no match was found. Police
determined that Kenan A. is married but has lived with another woman for
some time. Consequently, his relationship with his wife and son is strained
so police brought the wife, Şenay A., and son, Serdar A., to police
headquarters to make a statement.

Şenay A. stated that her husband was cheating on her so 'I wanted him to get
caught with narcotics and go to jail. I figured that if he was penniless the
woman he's living with would desert him and he'd come home. My son
took up the flooring in the minibus and I put the narcotics there. Then we
informed the police.' Serdar A. confirmed this account and both the mother
and son were taken into custody. The interrogation of the three suspects is
continuing with the police.

Sacrificial Payback for Unlucky Butcher

sacrifice links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 6 November 2011)

The incident occurred this morning in the Çepni neighborhood of Çorum. A
place to butcher animals (for the Feast of Sacrifice/Kurban Bayramı) was set
up with a tracked hanging system at the entrance of the private Alaybey
Boys High School dormitory. Butcher Murat Yıldız climbed up to the
elevated track, which was about four meters high, in order to hang the
butchered animals.

When the whole apparatus collapsed Yıldız fell to the ground along with
the animal carcasses. There were six livestock carcasses hooked to the
apparatus and Yıldız was crushed under one of them. As the result of a
severe blow to the head he died at the scene.

Butcher Murat Yıldız's lifeless body was taken to the morgue at Çorum
State Hospital in a vehicle belonging to the Çorum municipality. It was
reported that Yıldız had come from Sivas's Yıldızeli district to Çorum to
butcher the animals. An investigation into the incident is continuing.

Cozy and Convoluted Brotherly Wrecking Crew

wrecker links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 8 November 2011)

Teacher Harun Reşit Ünüvar parked his Chevrolet automobile in front of an
apartment house in Beylikdüzü on 1 February 2010. An hour later the car was
no longer where he had parked it. Bystanders told Ünüvar that police had
towed the car so he went to Duran Autopark to get his car back but instead
was shocked to see that the octopus arm of the wrecker, which had civilian
plates although the sign at the facility read 'Beylikdüzü Security Directorate',
had fallen on the roof of car, inflicting major damage.

Police made a record of the incident and an insurance company paid for the
expenses related to Ünüvar's automobile. When Ünüvar tried to sell the car
a few months later he learned that because of the roof damage his 17,000TL
car was only worth 7,500TL. Ünüvar called Refik Akdağ, president of the
Beylikdüzü Police Services Development and Support Association (BPSDSA),
who had given Ünüvar his card on the day of the incident, but could not reach
him. Contacts with the Beylikdüzü Security Directorate were fruitless, as
well.

At this point, Ünüvar had lawyer Ilyas Harmandalı send a warning from
the Büyükçekmece Third Notary to ADR Ilker Automotive, the owner of
record for the wrecker whose headquarters is in Üsküdar. In response,
ADR sent a one-page rental agreement: the wrecker had been rented to
Hismak Engineering Company on 11 January 2010 for 3,000TL until
30 June 2010.

Ünüvar's lawyer Harmandalı then sent a warning letter to Hismak
Engineering in Fourth Levent, demanding payment for damages. Hismak
Engineering replied by sending a two-page rental contract: on 7 January
2010 - in other words before Hismak had leased it from ADR Ilker - the
wrecker had been rented by Hismak to the Beylikdüzü Police Services
Development and Support Association Economic Business Enterprise
(BPSDSAEBE). And despite the fact that Hismak Engineering's agreement
 with ADL Ilker was to end on 30 June, Hismak rented the wrecker to
BPSDSAEBE until 30 October 2010.

Based on the agreement, Hismak Engineering would receive a 50 percent
share for all towed vehicles and take care of all expenses associated with
the wrecker. The agreement was signed by BPSDSAEBE president Refik
Akdağ, who just happens to be co-owner of Hismak Engineering with
his older brother Engin Akdağ. In light of these developments, lawyer
Harmandalı filed a criminal complaint against Hismak Engineering and
BSPDSAEBE.

Turkish 'Rocky' KO's 'Godzilla' Attacker on Wall Street

rocky links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 7 November 2011)

Activists who are continuing their 'occupation' at Zucotti Park in the city of
New York in the U.S., with the aim of protesting unjust income distribution
and financial corruption, were attacked the day before yesterday. A mentally
unbalanced individual named Jeremy Clinch came to Zucotti Park early in the
morning. According to a statement in the New York Post, Clich terrorized
the tents 'like Godzilla' but ultimately crossed 'the wrong man'.

The unemployed attacker, from Cleveland, claimed that the protestors had
violated his living space. Clinch is said to be paranoid and had not taken his
medicine that day. Screaming 'I've been here since day one but I don't have
a tent. You haven't let me sleep for three months', Clinch then started kicking
the tents of the occupiers. When the tent of Turkish protestor Recai Iskender,
nicknamed 'Rocky', was targeted Iskender immediately woke up and went
out to defend himself.

Iskender floored the attacker with one punch and said 'this man is a police
agent. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is using every tactic to disperse this
protest.' An activist named Chris Guerra stated that Clinch has been doing
the same thing each morning since the protest started but 'this time he
roused the wrong bear from his sleep.'  The U.S. tabloids have taken to
calling Iskender 'Rocky'.

In connection with the protest, Iskender has conducted a hunger strike for
six days and lost 9 kilograms. On the internet he uses the moniker 'Reis'
(chief) but his name is not foreign to the Turkish public. Turkish diplomatic
sources in the U.S. confirmed that Iskender, whom the U.S. press has
characterized as a former Turkish diplomat based on Iskender's own
assertion, was an employee of the Turkish Foreign Ministry at one time.

Iskender began his service in the Foreign Ministry on 24 December 1986
as a 'candidate professional officer'. According to his own statement, when
he was 16 years old his father goaded him into attacking the principal of
his school because he was a 'communist'. Upon this information reaching
the Foreign Ministry years later, he was removed from the 'professional
officer' ranks and assigned to administrative duties, effectively ending his
chances to serve in an embassy.

He then began a legal fight and in 1999 he protested naked in front of the
Prime Minister's office in Ankara and chained himself to the statue of
Köroğlu in Bolu. Iskender now lives in the U.S. and owns a company
that rents buses.

Shock Treatment for Unruly Flyer

electroshock

(Hüğrriyet Newspaper, 4 November 2011)

Alpaslan T. (35), lives in Australia and was flying to Istanbul,
having made a connection in Seoul. When he tried to light a
cigarette on the plane he was prevented from doing so by the
cabin crew. Alpaslan T. then hurled abuse, first verbally and
then physically, toward the crew.

The plane's pilot, also a Turk, emerged from the cockpit to
talk with Alpaslan T. who, despite warnings from the captain,
remained agitated and demanded whiskey. It is claimed that
when taken to the plane's kitchen for a talk with the captain
he attacked the pilot, who was trying to convince him to calm
down.

At this point the captain brought Alpaslan T. under control
by using an electroshock device, after which he was tied to
his seat by the cabin crew and remained there for four hours.
The Korean Airlines plane landed at Atatürk Airport the
evening before last at 1830 hours. Alpaslan T. was taken into
custody on a charge of 'threatening flight safety' and transported
to Bakırköy Mental Hospital.

Gold Mining with Pickax Lives On in Trabzon

pickax links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 2 November 2011)

The night before last in the municipality of Çağlayan in Trabzon city
some thieves saw an opportunity when most of the people went to a wedding.
They stole 60,000TL worth of gold and disappeared.

First of all, the robbers entered the home of Mayor Cafer Sadıklar where they
found a 200 kilogram safe. They took the safe outside through a window to a
point 70 meters away and broke into the safe using a pickax. After stealing the
45,000TL worth of gold in the safe the thieves proceeded on to the homes of
Necati Sadıklar and Enver Sadıklar.

Cafer Sadıklar asserted that the robbery had been planned in connection with
he and his relatives going to the wedding of his nephew the night before last.
He stated that 'our nephew was getting married. Noone stayed at home. A
total of 60,000TL was stolen.' The Gendarmerie has initiated an investigation
into the incident.

Georgian Crooks Can't Buy Freedom

georgia links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 1 November 2011)

In Trabzon, workers at a supermarket chain, where over the past week three
separate robbery incidents took place, were monitoring the security cameras
the day before yesterday. The workers noticed a man and a woman stealing
and went into action. The two thieves tried to escape, throwing off the bags
in their hands, but they were caught next to a car with Georgia license plates.

The suspects were in a state of panic and offered the supermarket workers
1,000 USD and gold to let them go. Instead, they were handed over to the
police. Goods from the supermarket were found in the trunk of the car
belonging to Georgian citizens Nino Abashidze (56) and her son Teimuraz
Khmalazde (20).

CSI Istanbul: This One Too Easy

phone links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 30 October 2011)

In Ümraniye, Istanbul, Gökmen Kanbir alerted the police after his home was
robbed. Kanbir said that 6,000TL worth of goods had been stolen and he
provided the police with a foreign cellphone that he found in the house. Via
the cellphone, police reached one Maşallah K. (20). Consequently, it was
understood that Maşallah K. had dropped his cellphone in the house while
robbing it. Maşallah K. was place under arrest by the court.

Wrath of Mom

wrath links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 25 October 2011)

In Pendik, Istanbul, Kemal Yıldız (47), a construction contractor who is married
and has a child, started living apart from his wife seven years ago. Yıldız
subsequently fell in love with Mübetcan Tıngır (27) and has lived with her for
the past seven years, telling Mübetcan that he would divorce his wife and marry
her. But when Yıldız didn't get divorced and marry her daughter, Meryem Tıngır
(55), whose flat was given to her by Yıldız who now wants it back, got angry.

Meryem Tıngır had argued with Yıldız quite often and she summoned him to
a cafe yesterday morning in Pendik to talk things over. Predictably, another
argumen arose so Meryem took out a pistol and shot Yıldız who was hit four
times. He died at the scene. Meryem Tıngır was taken into custody and
interrogated at the Pendik Security Bureau. In her statement, she said that
'He's been with my daughter for a long time. He said he'd divorce his wife
and marry Mübetcan. But he wouldn't get divorced and he even took out
credit in my daughter's name from the bank, leaving her in debt. When
gossip increased in the neighborhood I wanted to head it off.'

'Fugitive' Lives On After Courthouse TV Fiasco

tv escape links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 24 October 2011)

The Istanbul Bakırköy Courthouse was the scene of a real escape during the
filming of a TV show 'I Loved a Child'. The handcuffed suspect was brought into
the courthouse via the personnel entrance by plainclothes policemen but escaped
by mixing in with the TV actors who were dressed in police and Gendarmerie
uniforms on a set in the building's entrance area.

The comic, if bewildering, escape incident occurred on Sunday, 16 October, in
the morning hours when filming of the TV show had begun in the large area
where courthouse personnel enter and exit. Although it was a weekend and the
building was quiet, the TV show set was crowded. At 11 AM the handcuffed
suspect, accompanied by three plainclothes policemen, entered through the
personnel entrance. As the policemen were trying to comprehend what was
happening, with all the actors in police and Gendarmerie uniforms standing
around, the suspect took advantage of their momentary distraction and plunged
in among the actors.

By the time the real police figured out what had happened, the suspect was
headed for the door. As the police pursued they yelled 'catch him' but the
policemen at the door, thinking it was all part of the TV show they'd been
watching all morning, opened the door for the suspect who screamed 'I'm
one of the TV actors!'.

After making it outside the suspect disappeared and the TV filming started
up again following the commotion. A record was made of the 'escape
caused by confusion' and an inquiry initiated.




 

Visa Problem in UK Clouds May-December Romance

cradlesnatch links to original artcile

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 22 October 2011)

Julie Haycocks (53) is fighting to prevent her Turkish boyfriend, Cihat
Hacıvelioğulları (19), from being deported from England because his visa has
expired. The Turkish youth, who goes by the nickname 'Alex' and works in
a kebab restaurant in the town of Shropshire, is currently being held at the
Dungavel Immigrant Transfer Center in Scotland.

The women explained that she first met Cihat three years ago when he was
working as a cashier at Tesco and that it was love at first sight. She poured
out her troubles, saying 'he proposed to me six months after we met. How
stupid was I to say that we needed more time.'

Haycocks is a widow with three chidren, aged 30, 28 and 26. She is now
running a signature campaign called 'Residency Rights for Alex' but Cihat's
fate is in the hands of the immigration officials in West Midlands. A decision
is expected within four weeks as to whether or not he can stay in England.
Cihat works at his uncle's Five Star kebab restaurant and said that 'my
family behaved with prejudice about my relationship with Julie but I know
our love is real.'

Luxury Hookers Controlled from Siberia

pool links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 22 October 2011)

Istanbul police started trailing a prostitution gang four months ago and
conducted simultaneous raids in Beşiktaş, Kemerburgaz and Etiler on Tuesday,
hitting 48 sites with 200 policemen. In the raid, 17 of the gang's board of
directors, including 10 women, were arrested. The gang is headed by
Russian Maria L. who lives in Siberia.

Some 50 women who provide prostitution services for 1,000 Euro per night
were taken into custody during the raid. It was determined that the suspects
sent women to sex parties at 5-star hotels, homes, rented luxury villas and pools,
based on their customers' requests. All this was done via an internet site the
gang set up. Police also seized four taxis used to take the women to customers.

Police determined that the gang members used coded words to avoid detection,
such as saying 'going for treatment' to mean prostitution. A Turkish woman,
one of the suspects, tried to hide her identity while speaking with customers over
the internet by telling them she was Russian and writing in broken Turkish to try
to convince them of this.

Czech It Out: Stutter-Step Robbery

stutter links to original article

(Vatan Newspaper, 23 October 2011)

Businessman U.Ö. (40), who has an office in the Istanbul Mineral Goods Dealers
(IMES) Industrial Estate in the Ümraniye section of Istanbul, parked his car in
front of a bank in the estate on 17 October in order to withdraw money. As he
was leaving the scene after withdrawing 220,000TL another car hit his. The two
people who got out of the car tried to apologize but couldn't stop stuttering.
Actually, they were trying to distract U.Ö.

Seeing that there was only minor damage to his car and not being able to
understand the two stutterers anyway, U.Ö. left the area. Soon afterwards,
though, he noticed that the bag containing the 220,000TL was missing so he
went to the police. Upon reviewing security camera images from the area,
police determined that the suspects used two foreign-made cars, one of which
was stopped at the Kapıkule border gate. Czech citizens Zurap A. (41) and
Roini U. (48) were taken into custody, along with about 40,000TL in their
possession.

Chicken and Pig Take Human Revenge

revenge links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 19 October 2011)

In Yeni Yörük village of Bursa's Inegöl district, Oğuzhan Demirtaş (20)
wanted to cut up one of the chickens in his yard so he started to run after
the chicken with a knife. However, Demirtaş's leg caught on something and
he lost his balance, falling on top of the knife himself. He was stabbed in the
chest and rushed to a hospital but, despite all efforts, could not be saved.

pig links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 20 October 2011)

Mustafa Mercan was travelling in his car near Pınarbaşı district of Kayseri
province when he struck a wild boar and killed it. Another car then hit the
pig carcass, went out of control and hit an electric pole, toppling it. When
Mercan went to help the injured other driver he was electrocuted by the
fallen electric pole.

In the incident, which occurred at about 0130 at night at the Büyükgümüşün
village location, Mercan was driving his car with plate number 38 VN 277
on his way to Kahramanmaraş when the wild boar jumped in front of his car
and he killed it. Mercan emerged without injury but a vehicle driven by
Bünyamin Şahin bearing plate number 06 AF 2396 then struck the pig
carcass, causing Şahin to lose control of his car and knock over the electric
pole. Mercan went to help Şahin but was electrocuted by the overturned
electric pole and died.

Mercan's body underwent an autopsy at Pınarbaşı State Hospital and then
turned over to his family. Şahin was released after giving a statement.

Baby's Naming Sets In-Laws on Each Other

name links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 19 October 2011)

Emrah Y., who lives in Eyüp, Istanbul, wanted to bestow a name of his own
choosing on his newborn son his but he claimed in a complaint to the public
prosecutor that when he attempted this his mother-in-law Melek A. and
sister-in-law Filiz D. attacked him.

Emrah and Duygu Y. brought their first child into the world in October
2010. Emrah wanted to name the baby 'Furkan' but 'my mother-in-law
said the name should be 'Yusuf'. When I stated that 'the child is mine and
I'll give him whatever name I want' my mother-in-law and sister-in-law
attacked me.' In her statement to the prosecutor, Filiz D. rejected the
charge and asserted that when they asked Emrah what he was going to
name the baby he shouted 'don't interfere!' and walked threateningly
toward her mother.

The Istanbul Public Prosecutor completed an investigation and prepared
an indictment against Melek A. and Filiz D. for the crime of 'injuring' and
asked for a sentence of up to two years.

Long Arm of Turkish Army Snares RIM CEO

draft dodger links to related article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 18 October 2011)

The creator of the Blackberry smart phone, Mike Lazaridis, is said to be
trying to find a solution that will exempt him from military service in Turkey.
Lazaridis is the CEO and president of RIM and with assets of 1.3 million
USD ranks 51st among Canada's wealthiest citizens. RIM officials are due
in Turkey this week for talks on important projects but RIM's other CEO,
Jim Balsillie, will represent the company because a solution to Lazaridis's
military service problem has not yet been found.

Lazaridis was born to a Greek family in Pangaltı, Istanbul, in March 1961.
He and his family emigrated to Canada in 1967, where he attended
Waterloo University but, like many other famous people in the technology
world, left school in his last year. Lazridis founded RIM in 1984.

Turkish Slumlord in Philly Becomes Hero

slumlord links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 19 October 2011)

Former NCO Turgut Gözleveli (71) has lived in Philadelphia USA for 47
years. He bought three apartments in the city with money he made as an
electrician. Last week he went to one of his apartment buildings in
connection with cleaning issues and to talk with his tenants. What he found
in the furnace room were four Americans who had been kept there without
food or water for a week.

The mentally-challenged captives were chained and a dog was guarding
them. Their captor turned out to be the mother of one of the tenants. The
woman, Linda Ann Weston (51), had years before locked her daughter's
boyfriend Bernardo Ramos (25) in a bathroom where he died from lack
of food and water. She was found guilty of third-degree murder in that
incident and served time in prison.

It was determined that Weston's boyfriend Gregory Thomas (47) and one
Eddie Wright (50) participated in her ugly game. All the suspects were
arrested by police on Sunday and put in jail. On Monday they were brought
before a judge where bail was set at 2.5 million USD. The suspects then
went to prison.

Weston had in her possession a file with the social security numbers of 50
people, which was seized. An investigation will determine when she used
them and the money she collected. According to a statement from the FBI,
one of the people chained in the furnace room was Tamara Breeden (29),
who was reported missing by her family n 2005. The other three victims
were aged 31, 35 and 41 and one of their names is Herbert Knowles.

Big Brother's Fib Turns Sibling's Life Upside Down

big brother links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 19 October 2011)

Celal Topçu is a 32 year-old bus driver in Kocaeli Gebze. His older brother
Cemal Topçu (50), who lives in Ardahan, was stopped by police on the
night of 27 January and found to have an alcohol level of 0.75 promil. Police
wanted to seize Cemal's license but he said that he left both it and his identity
card at home and gave the police Celal's license number instead. The two
policemen processed Celal's number by attaching an absentee penalty
against his license for using a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.

A week later, without any knowledge of this, Celal was taking passengers
to Istanbul when his license was confiscated by police at a checkpoint.
Although he said there had been a mistake it was all in vain and Celal, who
has been a driver for 14 years, lost his job because his license was seized.
Subsequently, when he couldn't pay his debts his house was foreclosed.

When Celal, the father of two children, learned what had happened he
filed a complaint with the Ardahan Public Prosecutor against his brother
and the two policemen. The prosecutor determined that there was no
cause to penalize the police for the charge of 'falsifying an official document'.
However, a suit was filed agains Cemal Topçu for 'putting traffic safety
in jeopardy' and 'lying during the completion of an official document.'

With the prosecutor's decision the monetary fine against Celal was lifted
but as long as the suit continues Celal cannot reclaim his license. Celal
stated that his life has been turned upside down because of the lack of
responsibility shown by the police. Continuing, Celal said that 'my older
brother doesn't have a license so he got scared and gave my number.
The police penalized my license based on a false statement. Even though
I'm innocent I've lost my job. I've been jobless for eight months. Sanctions
have been brought on me because of my debts. I don't have money to
buy a house.'
 

'Professor' Pinched by Prints on Plastic

professor links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 19 October 2011)

A 26 year-old woman named E.E. filed a complaint with police, saying that
a person who introduced himself over the internet as a professor had put
out an add for an assistant. E.E. applied for the position but 'the person I
interviewed with wanted my cellphone and credit card. He flashed a gun
and threatened me.'

Police went into action to capture this individual, who was using a false
identity, and two more women complained to them, asserting that 'this
person who identified himself as a professor took our cellphones and
credit cards giving excuses like 'I forgot my cellphone at the office' or
'my credit card doesn't work'. Then he disappeared.'

Police determined three addresses where the suspect might live and they
took finger prints off a plastic bottle left at the door of one of them. The
prints turned out to belong to Mehmet A. who was on file with the police.
Mehmet A. was taken into custody and identified by E.E. and the two
women whose cellphones and credit cards he had taken.

Mystery Brit of Many Names Really a Turk

fake brit links to original article

(Vatan Newspaper, 16 October 2011)

Identifying himself as an English citizen, Alex Winter used fake identities
to marry two women but his ruse was exposed by his latest wife, Fatma D.

On 4 August 2010 Winter married Fatma D. at the Beylikdüzü Marriage
Bureau. However, after the marriage Winter claimed that he had to go to
England often for work because he was a BBC television correspondent.
He also claimed that because of his reports he had received death threats
and, with government permission, used various identities to avoid danger.
A while later Winter said that he was having financial difficulties and asked
Fatma D. to establish a line of credit for him from her bank. Not being one
to deny anything to her spouse, Fatma D. set up a 20,000TL credit line
for Winter.

After this development, though, Fatma D. got suspicious about Winter's
odd behavior and started to look into his background. Following his trail
like a detective, Fatma D. came face to face with some unexpected
realities. She researched the names Mark Scott and Ian Francis, which
Winter had told her he had used, and found out that Scott had married
a woman named Eda C. in Mersin in 2006 and that they had a child. Fatma
D. sent photographs to the Mersin marriage bureau and determined that
Alex Winter and Ian Francis were the same person. A bewildered Fatma D.
also learned that Winter had another child from a relationship with a woman
in Çanakkale.

Fatma D. found out that Winter, using the name Mark Scott, had defrauded
young people in Mersin, promising to send them abroad, and that an arrest
warrant had been issued for him. At this point, Fatma D. filed a divorce suit
in the Büyükçekmece Family Court through lawyer Şenol Caner. She also
filed a complaint about Winter for the crime of fraud.

Fatma D. explained what she had gone through to Vatan, saying that 'in
2009 I met him through a family friend. He told me that he was a BBC
correspondent and that because of this he was in danger so he was given
different identities by the English government. I knew him as Mark Scott,
but I married him as Alex Winter. It seems he thought I had money. I took
20,000TL from the bank and gave it to him to help him. He never showed
me an identity card, just passports and I saw that he had come and gone
here and there. When I got suspicious I decided to track him but when he
found out he threatened me and told me to stop, otherwise he couldn't
be responsible for what might happen.'

This person who identifies himself as Alex Winter was actually born in
Kahramanmaraş and lived there until he was 20, according to Fatma D.
'after doing his military service he got asylum in England and then returned
to Turkey after living in England for ten years. I learned that he was involved
with construction work. Now I want this man arrested as soon as possible
and punished.'