Un-Candid Camera Foils Gold Robbers

Türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 29 August 2016)


       Their hero.


A jeweler in Rize sent about 5 kilograms of gold by bus to Istanbul.
The gold disappeared in Çorum but the 'foolproof' plan that involved
the bus driver and two rest-stop workers was foiled by the 'broken'
video system at the rest-stop.

The incident, which was the equal to any comedy film, began when
Rize jeweler Z.T. sent the 4.7 kilos of gold to another jeweler in
Istanbul for repair.  Once repaired, the gold was sent back to Rize
in a special compartment in the passenger bus.

When the bus reached Rize minus the gold, Z.T. filed a complaint
with the police.  The 1,150-kilometer Rize-Istanbul bus route was
scrubbed for clues, as police looked at security camera footage all
along the way.  But when a rest-stop camera in Çorum was reported
to be 'broken', police began to focus their investigation there.


Bus driver C.T. in a defiant mood.

The questioning of workers at the rest-stop resulted in conflicting
accounts. Ultimately, police determined that bus driver C.T. and
rest-stop workers Ü.Y. and A.F. had planned the heist and stashed
the gold in a vacant lot. 

Police recovered 3.8 kilos of gold from the lot and 685 grams of
gold was found on the suspects.  So about 4.5 kilos of gold were
returned to Z.T.  The suspects were transported to Rize for
arraignment but released pending trial. However, the Çorum
prosecutor objected because the crime was committed in his
jurisdiction and the suspects were sent back to jail in Çorum.


                       Çorum (A) -Rize
 

Turks in the Far Abroad

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 29 August 2016)


If proof was needed, the global reach of Turkish fandom.

Actress Bergüzar Korel is getting ready to retun to the screen,
this time with husband Halit Ergenç in a TV show entitled
'Vatansever' (The Patriot).  Her fans have just come up with a
meaningful surprise for her - this year for her 34th birthday the
'Bergüzar Korel Universal Fan Club' (!) has extended her
birthday tradition of good works to Africa.


           Well, at least she's not thirsty.

The fan club donated clothes to school children in Konya in
Korel's name in 2015.  This time they've opened a well in
the Republic of Chad and next to the well is a sign that
reads 'Bergüzar Korel Water Well'.

The fans addressed the Chadians on their web page by saying:
"This is our birthday present for Bergüzar hanım this year.
We may not speak the same language, nor share the same
hardships in our countries but we are under the same sky.
A child in Africa dies every 14 seconds from thirst. People
walk kilometers to find a bucket-full of water. So this is what
we decided to do this this year."


                      Where's Chad?

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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 29 August 2016)


      Stuck in Colombia's equivalent of Lodi.

Namık Kemal Başbay (53) sets out on long motorcycle rides to promote
tourism in Istanbul and Turkey but this time, on his South America tour,
he's stuck in Maicao, the area of Colombia that has the country's highest
crime rate.

Başbay left Argentina on 11 November 2015 and passed through Uruguay,
Brazil and Venezuela en route to Colombia.  At the Venezuala-Colombia
border, though, he was forced to stay in a hotel because he does not have
a permit to ride a motorcycle in Colombia.  Başbay contacted the Turkish
embassy in Bogata for help but has yet to receive assistance.

Explaining his predicament, Başbay said "I got the necessary documents
and permission from our embassy in Venezuela but the Colombian
authorities tell me that it's not possible to cross the border on a
motorcycle.  They let me go as far as a hotel two kilometers from the
border.  Because I talked to the soldiers about Turkish football and the
Beşiktaş football club they didn't harass me for any documents, but the
police at the city's entrance did.  I can go on my way illegally but if I
get caught I'll be in big trouble. I'm expecting help from (Turkish)
officials."

Sheepshead Hoodwinkers

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 28 August 2016)


Who's that at the back window bleating 'Mary Had a Little 
Lamb"?

In Malkara district of Tekirdağ province, the police set up
a check point and were pulling cars over for examination.
One minivan they noticed had some sheep peering out the side
window.  This led police to stop the minivan and the car that
was following it.

It turned out that there were 20 sheep (!) in the minivan.
Police then questioned S.B. and H.Ö. in the minivan and M.D.
and S.İ. in the car and determined that all of them were wanted
on fraud charges related to 17 separate incidents.

Police found 20,000 TL (about 7,000 USD) on the suspects,
whose modus operandi was bargaining a price for sheep, paying
half with the promise to draw the rest from the bank, and then
absconding.


Malkara district is in western Tekirdağ province.

Ouagadougou Hoodwinkers

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 27 August 2016)


Somehow, they couldn't keep a low profile in Konya.

A year ago businessman İ.U,, who makes farm equipment
in Konya, met Jule Sorgho on the internet.  Sorgho identified
himself as "the son of the Agriculture Minister of Burkino Faso."

Sorgho came to Konya with 3 friends to "sign a 2 million TL
(about 700,000 USD) import contract" so I.U. put them up in a
5-star hotel.  Then the four Africans convinced I.U. that "our
dollars have a UN seal on them" and they asked I.U. for
100,000 Euros in order to run a machine that removes these seals (!).

(Incredibly) I.U. gave the four 50,000 Euros which they put in one
compartment of the machine and the dollars in the other compartment.
Then they turned on the machine and, as a result, told I.U. that the
dollars were now useable.  However, instead of returning the real
Euros to I.U. they gave him a few genuine ones resting on top of
fake ones that had been hidden in the  machine.

Subsequently, I.U. opened the pouch of 'Euros', realized he had
been bilked and called the police. Jule Sorgho of Burkino Faso,
Hassana Mara of Guinea, Ousane Konat of Mali and Longo Lono
Charles of Congo were arrested.  Thousand of fake dollars and
Euros were seized from them, along with 48,000 Euros and 400
USD that had been taken from I.U.