(Sabah Newspaper, 18 September 2014)
A golden touch with sleight of hand.
Halim Baykara knocked on a door in Gaziosmanpasa, Istanbul,
on 14 March 2013 and allegedly told Ilknur Yildirim (17) who
answered that "I've come to break the curse on this house."
Baykara entered the house and won over Ilknur whom he told
to get him an egg. Since there were no eggs in the house,
Baykara told Ilknur to bring him a tomato instead.
Baykara had Ilknur squash the tomato in a handkerchief in
which it was wrapped. When Ilknur saw that a 'nazar boncugu'
(a bead that supposedly wards off the evil eye) emerged from
the handkerchief containing the crushed tomato she was
thoroughly convinced of Baykara's bonafides.
At this point Salih Yalcin came to the house and Yalcin
was dazzled by Baykara's ability to put a rope back together
after it had been cut into 5 segments. Baykara next told
his admirers to bring him all the valuables and jewelry in
the house. He put all the money, gold, rings and bracelets
into a sack and, after saying some prayers, gave the sack
to Yalcin to have him lock it in a room in the house.
Yalcin subsequently discovered that the valuables were not
in the sack. Realizing that he had been hoodwinked, Yalcin
went to the police station, whereupon a case was opened
against Baykara for "exploiting religious beliefs and
emotions", which carries a jail sentence of up to 7 years.
Gaziosmanpasa district of Istanbul.
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