From Flat Tire to Flat Broke

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(Sabah Newspaper, 2 October 2013)

Charade at the tire-repair shop.

Ugur Uzal is in the iron and steel business in Payas
district of Hatay province and last Saturday he went
to Iskenderun to withdraw money for payments. Uzal
parked his car near the bank he entered but four people
who had followed him punctured the tires of his car
while he was in the bank.

Uzal withdrew 670,000 TL from the bank and headed
off in his car.  Another car, with the robbers inside, came
up along side to tell Uzal that he had a flat tire. Without
stopping, Uzal headed for a tire repair shop to have his
tire problem taken care of.

As Uzal waited for the repairs to finish, two of the robbers
entered the repair shop and asked the owner about buying tires.
While one robber distracted the owner with the tale about
purchasing tires, the other one snuck into Uzal's car and stole
the money.  The  tire-buying robber told the shop owner  he
had changed his mind, left the shop with his cohort and fled
in a car with the other two robbers.

After waiting for the tire repairs to finish, Uzal got into his car
only to find that his money was gone. Uzal alerted the police,
who, after obtaining descriptions of the robbers from nearby
surveillance cameras, are searching for the thieves.

Payas just south of Dortyol

in Hatay-Antakya province.