Toilet Cleaners by Day, Bandits by Night

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 22 November 2015)




Servet E. flush with cash after flushing toilets all day.

Police began an investigation when robberies began to increase
in the Arnavutköy, Eyüp, Avcılar and Küçükçekmece sections
of Istanbul and the names of Servet E. and two others - Adnan
K. and Serkan G. - turned up.

All three had recently been dischared from prison under supervized
liberty and were performing 'public service' duties to fulfill the last
year of their sentences. However, while the three suspects spent
their days cleaning toilets in Küçükçekmece, they formed a gang and
returned to their old stealing ways at night.

Police placed the suspects under technical and physical surveillance
for four months and noted that the bandits would target homes with
no lights on, ring the doorbell to be sure noone was home and then
break in.  After collecting sufficient evidence, the police simultaneously
raided 28 addresses and arrested 18 persons from the gang.

The gang spoke in code during their telephone conversations. For
example, when heading for a robbery they would say "We're going
for a visit. Get ready."  To report their loot they would say "I got
(amount of) money from my uncle."

Some of the overheard conversation surprised even seasoned police
officers. In this regard, suspect Adnan K. witnessed a murder in
Sultangazi and informed the gang leader, who then instructed Adnan
K.: "before the police come act like you're helping out and get any
money and the cellphone off the body."  The police, though, came
too quickly for Adnan K. to act.

In one conversation entered into evidence the three main suspects
laughed as they said to each other "daytime we work for the state.
Nighttime we work for ourselves."