30 Haziran 2013 Pazar

Bureaucracy's Incomprehensible Gaffe

gaffe links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 29 June 2013)
Would that he could hold a rifle...

Bayram Yilmaz lost his two arms and an eye
as the result of a mine explosion when he was
10 years old. He dedicated his life to sports
and was invited to the national handicapped
team. When Yilmaz turned 19 he applied to
the Sirnak Military Bureau for military service,
although he knew he would be exempted because
of his handicaps. However,  his troubles began
when officials at the Sirnak bureau told him "you have
to get a report from GATA (main military hospital)
in Ankara."

Yilmaz said that "I wanted to be a soldier, to
pay my citizenship debt."  But to be exempted
from service he was sent to Ankara to get a
handicapped report. After an 18-hour journey
from Sirnak he arrived at GATA, where he told
officials "I'm a cilvilian survivor of a mine
explosion" and showed them his amputated
arms and missing eye.

Nevertheless, "I had to stay in Ankara for three
days to prove that I didn't have any arms or an
eye." After x-rays and an examination he got the
exemption reports but had to wait another day
to see a committee that would verify the reports.

Finally, Yilmaz spoke with an officer at GATA
who asked in wonder "how in the world could
they send you here? At least they could have
sent you to Diyarbakir."  Yilmaz ultimately obtained
the exemption report from the committee.

Officials in Sirnak couldn't quite figure this one out.


28 Haziran 2013 Cuma

Families From East Take Feud to Istanbul

feud links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 28 June 2013)
Family Feud, the reality show.

In Sancaktepe, Istanbul, the feud between the Kantarkaya
family of Bingol and the Ayirkans of Kars began in 2011 when
Nevzat Ayirkan (37), who has a record for narcotics and weapons
possession,  kidnapped 14 year-old C.K. The Kantarkaya
family complained to the police who took Ayirkan and C.K.
into custody at the house they were living in in Umraniye,
Istanbul. Ayirkan was subsequently released and the girl was
returned to her family.

In May of this year C.K.'s family called the police to report
that Ayirkan had beaten C.K. and asked for police assistance.
C.K. was then taken to a dormitory for girls in Avcilar, Istanbul.
Later, Ayirkan again kidnapped C.K. but this time with her
consent. The feud between the families erupted again.

In a fight last Tuesday three members of the Ayirkan family were
knifed.  The night before last, C.K.'s father Ali Can Kantarkaya
and his relatives sprayed Nevzat Ayirkan with bullets. Ayirkan
was killed and his nephew Emray Ayirkan (22) was injured.
After this happened the Ayirkan family torched the Kantarkaya
family home and five apartments in the 3-story building burned.

Three busloads of riot police, a panzer vehicle and a TOMA
(crowd control truck) took up duty in the neighborhood. The
whereabouts of the kidnapped C.K. remained unknown and four
people were taken into custody.




27 Haziran 2013 Perşembe

Mind The Gap!

gap links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 27 June 2013)

Watch that first step...

In Konya, an 8.5-month pregnant woman stuck in a car
that was left hanging over a hole dug by the municipality,
panicked while getting out of the car and fell into the hole.
The accident occurred at 2200 hours the night before last
in Selçuklu district.

Evidently, Faruk Balcı (29) did not notice the warning signs
and barriers as he drove his car over the 4-meter deep ditch
dug by the KOSKİ utility. Miraculously, the car got stuck
over the ditch but Müşerref Balcı, in a panic, got out of the
vehicle and fell into the hole.

Local citizens came to the rescue and retrieved the 8.5 month
pregnant  Müşerref Balcı from the ditch and she and her
husband Faruk were taken to the hospital. It has been learned
that the mother and her baby are doing well. An investigation
into the accident has been started.


Selçuklu is near Konya city.

25 Haziran 2013 Salı

Smarter Than The Average Bear

bees links to related article

(Haber Turk Newspaper, 24 June 2013)

Bees on the balcony foil bears.


In Abana district of Kastamonu province, a honey
producer who wanted to protect his hives from bear
attacks has come up with a Black Sea-type solution:
he put the hives on a balcony that he constructed
between trees.

Mustafa Biyikli (60), who has about 60 hives in Akcam
village, said that "the bears have destroyed 10 of our hives.
The last resort solution was to build a balcony among the
trees to protect the hives from the bears. We lift the hives
onto the balcony with a pulley system that we made. It's
a very good system. We also prevent the bears from climbing
the trees by wrapping the trunks with sheet metal."

Abana district on Black Sea coast.

24 Haziran 2013 Pazartesi

Demi Never Mentioned THIS On Entertainment Tonight

Demi's secret beau?


‘Teyyo Pehlivan’ lakaplı Tayyip İde kimdir
ERZURUM’un Pasinler ilçesinde 1913’te doğan Tayyip İde, adını Teyyo Pehlivan olarak duyurdu. Yalancılığı ve hazır cevaplılığıyla ünlenen Teyyo Pehlivan, hayallerini büyük bir ciddiyetle anlatırdı. 1999’da ölen Teyyo Pehlivan’ın anlattığı hikayelerden biri şöyle: “Bir gün Hasankale belediye otobüsüyle ABD’ye gidiyorum. Bir baktım yolda Demi Moore’un arabasının tekeri patlamış. İndim aşağı, bir dakika sürmedi lastiği tamir ettim. Bunun üzerine Demi, beni yemeğe davet etti. Kıramadım gittim. Demi, teşekkür için yanağımdan öptü. Ben de onu yanaklarından öptüm. Demi, “Bir daha öper misin?” dedi. Neyse ben bir daha öptüm. Demi bana, “Sen Doğulusun bir daha öp bakayım” dedi. İkinci kez öptüğümde Demi, “Seni tanır gibiyim, Erzurumlusun” dedi. Üçüncü öpüşümde Demi, “Vallahi seni tanıdım. Sen Hasankaleli Teyyo Pehlivansın” dedi.



Who is Tayyip Ide, nicknamed 'Teyyo Pehlivan'

Tayyip Ide was born in Pasinler district of Erzurum province in 1913 and he liked to be 
called Teyyo Pehlivan. He was known for lying and wisecracks and would explain his 
imaginings with great seriousness. One of the stories that Teyyo Pehlivan, who died in
1999, related was this one: "One day I was on the Hasankale municipal bus headed 
for the U.S.A. All of a sudden I noticed Demi Moore's car on the side of the road with
a flat tire. I got out of the bus and in no time I'd fixed the flat tire. In response, Demi
invited me to lunch. I couldn't disappoint her so I accepted and a grateful Demi kissed
me on my cheek. I,too, kissed her on her cheeks. Demi then said 'would you kiss me again?'
so I did. Demi said to me 'you're from the east, give me another kiss.' When I kissed her 
the second time Demi remarked 'it's like I know you, you're from Erzurum.' The third time
I kissed her she said 'OMG! I know you! You're Teyyo Pehlivan from Hasankale!'"

                                        You can't keep a secret forever Demi!

                                            Erzurum, scene of the crime...






22 Haziran 2013 Cumartesi

One Eggs-asperating Omelet!

breakfast links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 22 June 2013)
NCO's donate eggs for better breakfasts.

The General Director of the Turkish Non-Commissioned
Officers Association (TEMAD), Ahmet Keser, has reacted
harshly to the six month jail sentence meted out to Sergeant
T.T. for the four eggs he had a subordinate use to make him
breakfast on 13 January at the 95th Armored Brigade Command
located at Malkara, Tekirdag.

Keser noted that in the past three months nine non-commissioned
officers have committed suicide and he pointedly asked "what is
the commission that the General Staff appointed three months ago
in regard to these suicides doing? The results are still unclear.
Instead of looking into the problems of NCO's, the General Staff
is making a crime out of four eggs. We'll send them a carton of
eggs."

Keser continued, saying "being the watch officer is a sacred and
meaningful duty. Our NCO was the duty officer in the unit that day.
As he got off duty he ate three or four eggs. What's that Lt. Col.
doing? Making a crime out of eggs. What a shame. The Turkish
Army is bothering with such things? Our NCO is accused of eating
four eggs he was entitled to. Just the other day, the Chief of the
General Staff and 50 others visited a unit and ate with the soldiers.
Wasn't that the soldiers' food? Did that food come from some
restaurant?"

Egg Questions

Lt. Col. Erol Umut asked Sergeant T.T. six questions as part of
the judicial investigation. The questions and answers are summarized
here as follows:

Umut: I determined that you had an omelet cooked in the kitchen even
            though it wasn't on the menu. Why did you do this?
T.T.:   I knowingly allowed two eggs that I procured myself to be cooked
           to bolster my fortitude because I wasn't feeling well.
Umut: Did anyone else do such a thing in the kitchen? If you know write
           down their names. And if you know, then why have you hidden these
           crimes up to now?
T.T.    I have seen others do it but I didn't give it any importance because I
           figured they were doing it for inspection or checking. I didn't want
           to report who was involved in order not to upset my upper and lower
           relations and to preserve tranquility.
Umut: Even though I warned you five times, why didn't you come to
           attention? Only on the sixth time, did you come to attention, and then
           only with reluctance.
T.T.    I was at attention, in any case, but you kept on screaming and scolding
           and offending me.  

   

21 Haziran 2013 Cuma

Egg-centric Military Justice

eggs links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 21 June 2013)
Looks so innocent...

In Malkara district of Tekirdag province, Sergeant T.T.
was on night duty at the 95th Armored Brigade Command
on 13 January when he asked Corporal Yusuf Dogan, who
was on duty in the barracks kitchen, to make him an omelet
for breakfast.

However, while the omelet was cooking, Lt.Col. Erol Umut happened
by the kitchen and asked for whom the omelet - which was not on
the breakfast menu - was being prepared. Corporal Dogan explained
that he had used four eggs in the refrigerator, which were being saved for
a soup on the next day's menu, for Sergeant T.T.'s breakfast. Lt.Col.
took note of the incident and the matter was subsequently referred to
the military court.

At the hearing of the Second Army Corps Military Court on 17 June
Sergeant T.T. was sentenced to six months in jail and fined the 50 cents
cost of the eggs, which he will have to pay off within five years (!).
Since the sentence was less than two years, Sergeant T.T. avoided
prison and the court's decision was postponed. If Sergeant T.T. does
not commit a similar crime within five years he will not go to prison.

After an inquiry that lasted three months, Lt. Ugur Gultekin, a deputy
prosecutor for the Second Army Corps Command Military Court at
Gallipoli, prepared an indictment on 1 April (appropriately enough).
In the indictment, it was stated that by having an omelet prepared,
although it was not on the breakfast menu, Sergeant T.T. had misused
his authority and cost the taxpayers 50 cents.


Malkara is (clearly) the wild west of Tekirdag.



20 Haziran 2013 Perşembe

Trash-talkers and Sweet-talkers Get Stung

sweeper links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 20 July 2013)
Sweeper collects the trash-talkers.

The Mersin police pulled off a sting operation just
like in the movies. Con men who tried to hoodwink
citizen M.M., saying they were  prosecutors, were caught
by police posing as street sweepers.  The con men,
M.M.Y., D.U. and I. U., had previously used this
technique to bilk two citizens out of 200,000 TL.

First, someone claiming to be a policeman phoned M.M.
and told him to hang on for a connection to Prosecutor
Hasan. Once Hasan came on the line, he told M.M. that
the police were about to capture a group that was passing
money to the PKK terrorist organization so, in this regard (?),
M.M. was asked to bring 50,000 TL to a particular place.
A flustered M.M. withdrew the money from his account and
brought it to the designated location.

M.M. became suspicious, though, and phoned the real police,
who went into action. The police donned camouflaged outfits
and surveilled the area in front of the courthouse, where
Prosecutor Hasan wanted M.M. to bring the money. Wearing
the uniforms of municipal street sweepers, the police even
swept up the area themselves while waiting for the con men.

The suspects, expecting to collect 50,000 TL, came to the
site and looked around for 15 minutes but didn't pay any
attention to the sweepers. Just as I.U., the phony prosecutor,
was about to take hold of the money he was arrested by the
sweeper-clothed police. His cohorts M.M.Y. and D.U. fled
into the streets of Mersin but were later captured.

=================================================

sweet talker links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 20 June 2013)
Irresistible sweet-talker Veli Naci C.

In Antalya, a swindler who promised to marry women but instead
took their money, was captured in a police sting operation. Veli
Naci C. (53) called C.G.(48), a retired Antalya worker who had left her
phone number with a local TV station in hopes of finding a mate.
The suspect said he wanted to talk with C.G. and after displaying just
enough sincerity, he went to Antalya to meet her.

Veli Naci C. told C.G. that he had 332,000 TL secured in a bank for
their wedding but needed 10,000 TL from C.G. at the moment. He
then disappeared. C.G., realizing she had been bilked, called the
police who figured out a way to get Veli Naci C. to call another woman,
who lured Veli Naci C. back to Antalya. He was arrested at the rendezvous
point.

During the interrogation it was learned that Veli Naci C. had swindled
more than 10 middle-aged women with the same technique. He was
taken to jail.




18 Haziran 2013 Salı

"Honey Trap" Lands Her in Turkish Prison

honey trap links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 18 June 2013)
Nigerian matchmakers' cast of characters.

The latest victim of the "honey trap" technique used
to hoodwink middle aged people the world over by
luring them with young men and women, is American
prison worker Peggy Michelle Spicer (56). She met
one of the "honey trap" squad, who posed as a U.S.
soldier named James Michael Sunt serving in Nigeria (!),
on the internet.

Peggy accepted James's marriage proposal and sent her
"fiancé" a picture of herself in her wedding gown. She
then went to Peru but James explained that something had
come up so he referred her to his "uncle" there. This "uncle"
hosted Peggy in Peru and gave her a laptop case as a present.
James then called Peggy and told her that the wedding would
be in London. First, though, they would have a vacation in
Cesme, Turkey.

Peggy came to Turkey but was caught at Ataturk Airport
with the laptop case, in which 1.785 grams of cocaine had
been hidden. Peggy wanted to contact her "fiancé", U.S.
Army Major James Michael Sunt, but it turned out that the
photograph he had sent her was of another U.S. soldier.
Peggy has been in a Turkish prison for over a year and is
now trying to prove her innocence.

The "honey trap" technique is used primarily by Nigerian
conmen. In 2011 they lured Kate Roberts into a "romance"
using the photo of a U.S.soldier and defrauded her of
80,000 British Sterling.  In 2012, North Carolina University
physics and astronomy professor Paul Frampton (68) went
to Bolivia to meet the supposed 2007 Miss Bikini World beauty
Denise Milani. Frampton was caught with cocaine secreted
in a bag he had been given when he returned to the U.S.




17 Haziran 2013 Pazartesi

"Laz Rover" Buys a School

laz links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 17 June 2013)

A real-life "woody" to make the Beach Boys salivate.

Yahya Narmanlı, the mayor of Beşköy town in Köprübaşı
district of Trabzon province, last year asked furniture expert
Mustafa Kaya to make a vehicle that could be exhibited at
the Trabzon Fair held at Feshane, Istanbul.  So, inspired by
the Land Rover vehicle, Kaya made such a vehicle from hornbeam
wood in two months at a cost of 35,000 TL. The jeep even has a
heated seat, navigation features and a parking sensor.

The "Laz Rover" (the Laz are a lively and entertaining people
of the eastern Black Sea region), as the vehicle was dubbed,
was even given a license plate that recalls the conquest of
Istanbul: 61 FTH 1453 (61 is Trabzon's plate number, FTH
stands for "fetih"(conquest) and 1453 was the year Istanbul
was taken by the Turks).

The "Laz Rover"'s specifics: 2,000 cc motor, 105 horsepower,
top speed 140 kmph, length 4 meters 70 centimeters, width
1 meter 80 centimeters, weight 1.5 tons.

The famous businessman Ali Ağaoğlu, who is from Trabzon,
saw the vehicle at the fair and bought it for 50,000 TL. He told
Mayor Narmanlı "if there's anything you want, I'll make it
happen."  In reply, Narmanlı said that " our biggest need is a
primary school." Ağaoğlu then agreed to have the school built
and Mayor Narmanlı is currently preparing the school project
that will include 12 grades for the district. He added that "we
never thought that this wish of ours would be fulfilled by a
car. The Laz Rover made our dream come true."



Köprübaşı is toward the eastern side of Trabzon province.

14 Haziran 2013 Cuma

Gezi Park's "Vat From Hell" Twin

beast links to related article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 13 June 2013)

Massive beast at rest, for now.

A giant vat-tank intended for use in a separation
process at a nickel mine in Gördes district of Manisa
province left the port of Aliağa nearly two weeks ago
for the overland trip to Gördes. The vat-tank has become
the subject of protests at a place 10 kilometers from Soma,
where it is currently parked.

The protestors have issued a press release, characterizing
the 738 ton (!) vat-tank as the "Vat From Hell" and saying
that it will bring a catastrophe to the region. The environmental
protestors came from Soma, Gördes, Turgutlu, Dikili, Bergama
and Izmir and found the vat-tank parked near Soma.

The protestors carried pankarts reading "The Vat From Hell
Won't Enter Gördes!" as they climbed onto the vat-tank. They
shouted slogans like "We Don't Want the Vat From Hell!". Hasan
Türkay, a director on board of directors of the Gördes Environment
Association, gave a speech in front of the vat-tank and said that
the autoclave they call the 'Vat From Hell"  was a life-threatening
menace.

CHP representative Özgür Özel said that "we won't let the vat
be placed on the top of Gördes so it can poison our beautiful
Manisa plain."


Beauty Manisa wants no part of The Beast.

13 Haziran 2013 Perşembe

Phone Rage in Konya

phone links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 12 June 2013)
Writer's cramp.

In Konya, Mehmet Ozyildiran, a father of one who worked
as a waiter at an amusement center, forced his father-in-law,
Celal Karacay (77), to sign a promisory note for a 1500 TL
phone that he bought a month ago.  Ozyildiran failed to make
the first payment on the phone but went ahead and bought yet
another cellphone for 2,000 TL. Again, Ozyildiran tried to have
his father-in-law sign the note for the phone but Karacay refused.

Ozyildiran came to Karacay's house two days ago with a meat
cleaver, intent on forcing his father-in-law to sign the note but
when Karacay threatened to call the police Ozyildiran left.
The night before last, at 2020 hours, Ozyildiran returned
to Karacay's house with the note and the meat cleaver.  Karacay
wouldn't open the door so Ozyildiran climbed onto the balcony
in an effort to enter the house.

Karacay fired at Ozyildiran with his unlicensed hunting rifle,
wounding Ozyildiran in the back. Ozyildiran later died at the hospital.

Pricey phones all the rage  here.

11 Haziran 2013 Salı

Biten by Bad Luck, Again

bites links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 10 June 2013)

Poisonous attraction.

In Erzurum province, Ismail Bülbül was biten by a scorpion a year
ago in Oltu district and spent a month in intensive care before
regaining his health. Last week Bülbül was biten by a snake and spent
another week in intensive care. He said "my life is poison.
This is what bad luck is all about."

Bülbül (49), who is married and has two children, went with
his family to Tortum Waterfall for a picnic last week. While
he was sitting on the grass a snake emerged from the nearby
bushes and bit him on his right thumb. Bülbül feinted from the
poison as his relatives cut the bite point and tried to drain the
poison, without success.

Bülbül has remained in Erzurum Atatürk University Medical
School Yakutiye Research Hospital for the past week.


Beware of wild life in Erzurum!

9 Haziran 2013 Pazar

Living Dead's Land Sold

dead links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 9 June 2013)
Undead but has to prove it.

Everything began when 74 year-old Inci
Yasar Seven asked the tax office in Atasehir,
Istanbul, how much tax she owed on her
land there. The response shocked her: "it
seems you died. Your land has been sold."

Seven, who has lived in Holland for 50 years,
was told by the deed bureau to bring a document
proving she is alive, to Turkey. But when Seven
arrived here she was in for another shock: a death
report about her had wiped her from the population
ledger. In other words, she was officially dead in
Turkey.

After the incident was referred to the public
prosecutor it was apparent that Seven had been
the victim of fraud. A false death certificate
had been prepared, a fraudulent power of attorney
in the names of her three children had been
created and her land was sold.

Lawyer Gokcen Bilge Ozdemir explained that
Seven would have to file a friendly suit against the
population bureau, since the opposite party would
be the state. Next, she would have to produce a
birth certificate, and documents showing her entrances
and exits to and from Turkey, along with proof of her
residence in Holland. In addition, Seven would have
to get a document from the Cemeteries Directorate
stating that "no such body has been buried" in order
to establish that she had no grave in Turkey. Only after
all this was done could Seven be reinstated on the
population roles.

7 Haziran 2013 Cuma

Town's Golden Name Lures the Greedy

goldspring links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 6 June 2013)
Treasure hunters keep out!

Treasure hunters have headed toward a village, whose
name is Altinbulak (Goldspring), in droves. The
villagers say that their village looks like a groundhog
field because of all the excavations. Their solution has
involved setting up a village security camera.

Because of its name, the village of Altinbulak, in Yakutiye
district of Erzurum province, has become the place to go
for treasure hunters who have begun to pillage the place,
thinking that gold is buried there. Villagers run into the
treasure seekers late at night and try to stop them but the
excavations continue. Efforts to rid the village of the treasure
hunters have even included casting spells but, as yet, all in vain.

Excavations have been dug near the 200 year-old fountain that
gives the village its name and nearly everywhere else so the
villagers have installed a security camera. Village chief Nuri
Demir collected money from the townsfolk for a computer
and a night-vision-equipped camera system that can turn 360
degrees.  Demir can view the camera feed from his office at
all hours and this has resulted in a major decrease in treasure
hunters roaming around.

Zafer Karadas, one of the villagers, said that "its come to this:
these rabid treasure hunters have even had the gall to dig in
our gardens while we're at home. Thanks to the camera system
they've been frightened off and stay away from the village."
Another villager, Murat Tastan, stated that "although the name
of our fountain lures the treasure hunters, for us the water from
the fountain is the real gold."

Treasure hunters take note:
Altinbulak near Erzurum city.





6 Haziran 2013 Perşembe

Crash Dummies

dummies links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 5 June 2013)

"Accidents R Us"
 
Three friends who miraculously survived an accident
last week in Ilkadım district of Samsun province, said
when they saw their bifurcated vehicle: "We got out of
this car alive!?". The youths, who noted that they had
shared four accidents together up until today, stated
that "we are really very lucky to have gotten out of this
car alive. The vehicle was split in two!"

Emre Aslan was driving the car when it was involved
in an accident on Atatürk Boulevard in Ilkadım district
on 27 May. Aslan lost control of the car and drove it
on to the center median where it hit a palm tree and
broke into two pieces. Miraculously, the three people
in the car were only slightly injured. In addition to driver
Aslan, Samet Genel (26) didn't even get a bloody nose
and Emre Çetinkaya (22) had some minor injuries.

The three youths visited the car they had the accident in
and when they saw it they said "How did we get out of
this alive!?" Emre Aslan stated that this is the fourth
time the three friends have experienced an accident together
and "coincidentally, each time we were listening to Yıldız
Tilbe (a famous Turkish female vocalist) on the radio."

In this latest accident, Emre Çetinkaya hurt his arm. He
said "I was sitting in the back seat. I was slightly injured.
But now that I see the condition of the car I'm amazed."
Samet Genel, who survived the crash without a scratch,
said that he has been involved in accidents 36 (!) times
(yes, thirty six) and has 27 pieces of platinum in his body.
He noted that his friends call him "Platinum Man".



Ilkadım is one of Samsun city's districts on the Black Sea.

4 Haziran 2013 Salı

With Friends Like These...

friends links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 4 June 2013)
Plans to limit sarcasm henceforth.

Dursun B. (52), who lives in Bursa and who for some time
has been painting a hotel in Fistikli village of Armutlu district
in Yalova province, got a call from a friend who asked
"Where are you, did you find a treasure?". In response,
Dursun B. said (sarcastically) "yeah, I found a treasure,
that's why I'm painting a hotel in Fistikli."

The suspect, though, thought that Dursun B. had in fact
found a treasure and took five people with him to Fistikli.
It is alleged that the suspects shut Dursun B. up in a room in
the empty hotel, which had not yet opened for the season, and
tortured him so he would tell them where the gold or the money
was.

Taking advantage of his sleeping 'friends', Dursun B. escaped
from the hotel by jumping from the second floor and found
refuge at the Armutlu Gendarmerie station. He told police that
the suspects had tortured him and threatened to kidnap his
children. Dursun B.said that "the beat me at the hotel. Then
they took me to the shore of  Iznik Lake and beat me some more
inside a container."

"We went to a soup shop and someone pressed a knife
against me under the table so I wouldn't say anything. There
they changed cars and took me to the Gemlik shore. While they
had tea, a person with a knife stayed with me in the car. Later
they took me to Gursa to find another of my friends who claimed
that I had hid gold. Then we went back to the hotel and they said
they had taken my kids to the mountains. They beat me with an
adze handle and shocked my legs with electricity, knocking me out."

"They got food and drinks from the hotel and found the keys so
they locked the entrance and the door to the room I was in. While
they slept I found the room key, quietly crept out and jumped from
the second story. I hid in a shack in the back. When the realized I'd
escaped and when they couldn't find me they left the hotel. That's
when I told the Gendarmerie about the situation and that they'd
kidnapped my kids."

While jumping from the second story, Dursun B. broke his foot and
subsequently got a doctor's note to exempt him from work for 28
days. His son Murat B. said that he had received a call in the morning
around 0630 from someone he didn't know, asking for a meeting.
Murat B. at first thought that the caller was a friend from work so
"I called the number back and asked who had called. The answering
party said that they wanted to talk with me about my brother. They
they showed up in front of the house in a white car and said that my
brother Emrah had harassed their niece. They said they'd come again
in the evening."

"When my father escaped from them and reached the Gendarmerie,
the police came to our house to see about us. I called my dad on the
phone but since the suspects had taken it there was no answer at
first and then it was turned off. Again I called the number of the person
who had called me and asked why they had beaten my father. They
were in a panic and said they weren't involved."

Dursun B.'s 'friends' N.D. and H.T., who had originally called him,
were taken into custody in Orhangazi. E.K. (39) and O.T. surrendered
at the Orhangazi police station and I.A., who was also involved in the
incident, was picked up in Izmit two days later.

'Friends' in Bursa may not be.