11 Years Later, a Signal and an Arrest

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 31 October 2016)


                 When a cold case gets hot.

On 8 July 2005 a truck driver was waiting for his load of goods
at the truck park on the highway in Gaziosmanpaşa, Istanbul.
As the truck driver walked in the nearby woods he came upon
a woman's body.

Police arrived at the scene and identified the dead woman as
Zeynep Sarnıklı (39), whose throat had been cut in three places.
The truck driver gave a statement and police began the hunt for
Sarnıklı's missing cellphone.

The phone's old technology and non-use stymied the investigation
for 11 years.  But in recent days a new development changed all
that when a signal came from the phone.  Istanbul homicide police
determined that a woman in Mersin was using the phone.  After
taking the woman into custody, police learned that the phone in
question was essentially being used as a common phone by a
number of people.

Police then conducted traffic analysis of the phone's SIM card
and noted that there had been frequent calls to a village in Palu
district in Elazığ province.  This led police to Mehmet Arıkanoğlu
(33), who first denied the murder allegations.  Nevertheless,
Arıkanoğlu was brought to Istanbul, where he confessed to the
crime in court, explaining that "I made a proposal to her but we
couldn't agree on the money.  She went after me with a knife but
I grabbed it and stabbed her."



Signal came from Mersin (İçel) and linked to Palu district in
eastern Elazığ province.

Running on Empty Proves Fatal

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 30 October 2016)


   If only he'd filled up the tank beforehand...

In Silifke district of Mersin province, a chilling homicide occurred
in the Atakent neighborhood at 1 a.m. the night before last.  Şahin
T. (49) and his wife Zeynep T. were driving around in Erdemli district
when they encountered Ali Özcan (29), with whom the couple had a
long-standing enmity.

Özcan fled, heading west toward Silifke in his own car but he stopped
to get gas at a pumping station in the Atakent neighborhood in Silifke.
 As the Özcan's car was being serviced, the Şahin-Zeynep couple
entered the gas station and Şahin shot Özcan with a hunting rifle. As
Özcan fell to the ground, Şahin finished him off with a pistol shot to
the head. (!)

The couple then put Özcan's body in the trunk of their car and headed
back to Erdemli.  Meanwhile the gas station attendants alerted the
police, who stopped the fleeing couple on the road and delivered them
to the Gendarmerie.

Dogs' 'Taste' in Cars Questioned

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 28 October 2016)


          Maybe both cars were Cat-allacs.

Customs advisor Kahraman Kaya, who lives in Milas district
of Muğla province, bought a car a week ago for 50,000 TL
(about 17,000 USD) and parked it in front of his house in the
Atatürk neighborhood.

In the morning, Kaya noticed that the car's front area had
suffered damage overnight and that his neighbors said that a
group of dogs had been making noise around the car during
the night.  Kaya found teeth marks on the car's front hood.


Referencing a similar incident that occurred two weeks ago
in Sakarya (1,000 kilometers away), Kaya mused that "my car
is interesting.  It's the same make and model as the one dogs
attacked in Sakarya.  I want the car-maker to investigate this
matter."

Veterinarian Gülizar Atıcı, though, suggested that the dogs
were after a cat that had hidden under the hood.  Atıcı added
dryly that "for street anımals to knowingly target a particular
brand of goods is not a particularly strong possiblilty."

Married with (Surprise!) Children

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 28 October 2016)


This is definitely NOT a photo of M.E. and F.K.

M.E. (30), from Denizli, works as a baker in a bread shop in
Izmir.  Eight months ago he became engaged to F.K. (21)
through match-maker relatives.  Two weeks ago M.E. and
F.K. had wedding ceremonies in two separate provinces.

After the ceremony in Karacasu, in eastern Aydın province,
M.E. and F.K. headed toward their home in Izmir.  When they
reached Aydın city, though, F.E. fell ill.  After examing F.K.
the doctor there said to M.E. "Congratulations! Your wife is
6.5 months pregnant!"


                 What might have been...

Hearing this, M.E. (understandably) went into shock.  First,
he took the gold given to F.K. at the wedding from her and
then went to the Gendarmerie post to file a complaint. The
couple was divorced in one court hearing.

M.E. said that he would file a civil suit against F.K. for
the 50,000 TL (about 17,000 USD) he spent on the weddings.

Zimbabwe's Exotic Meat Feast 'Customized'

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 27 October 2016)


           No kangaroo burgers tonight kids.

A gala dinner party was arranged at the Calista Luxury Hotel
in Serik district of Antalya in connection with Zimbabwe's
national day, as part of the Expo 2016 festivities.

Zimbabwe's Minister of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation,
Joseph M. Made, and Sithembiso Nyoni, Minister of Small and
Mid-size Companies and Cooperatives, attended the event, which
was intended to promote Zimbabwe.  For the meal, a special chef
from Italy was brought in to cook crocodile, kangaroo, single-hump
camel, python and zebra meat.


News of the exotic meat embargo reached Harare. Ministers 
considering asylum requests in Turkey.

However, the exotic meat products were not permitted entry through
customs so the menu was changed to swordfish, steak and chicken.
Zimbabwean officials twice requested that Turkish customs permit
the meat to enter but in vain.

In any case, famous Zimbabwean singer Hope Masike  entertained
the guests, playing the traditional musical istrument called 'Mbira'.
A dance by students from St. Peter' Tokoyo grammar school drew
appreciation from the guests, as well.  The Turkcell Expo Tower
was lit with the colors of the Zimbabwean flag in connection with
Zimbabwean national day.



 

Outsourced Apologies; Discerning Music Thieves

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 26 October 2016)


         Outsourcing apologies.  What's next!?
The three stages of a good apology: I'm sorry. It was my
fault. How can I make it up to you?

In Eskişehir, an 'Apology Service' set up by 26 volunteers on
social media has contacted more than 10,000 citizens in 4 months
asking for support and up until today group members have
asked forgiveness from 6,379 people.

One of the volunteers, İlkay Mustafa Güneş, stated that the
service they set up 4 months ago is a volunteer thing and is
going well.  The service works like this: someone contacts the
'Eskişehir Özür Dileme Servisi' (Eskişehir Apology Service) via
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.   The caller then requests that
a service volunteer call another individual and apologize on
behalf of the caller.


Eskişehir well-positioned for nation-wide mea culpas.

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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 26 October 2016)


"Ooo, I can hit high C with this one! Let's take it."

In the Pınarönü neighborhood of Sivas's Şarkışla district, two
suspects entered a musical instruments store.  The thieves
stole 6 bağlamas (string instruments) , 2 neys (flutes), a pipe
organ, a sound machine, a darbuka (drum), a clarenet, a zurna
(flute-like instrument), a laptop computer, microphone and
bağlama cases.

In the store security video the robbers are seen entering the
store after a heated 45-minute effort to get through the door.
They are then observed testing out the instruments.  Street
surveillance cameras later identified the suspects as S.G. (15)
and S.D. (12) (!).  Police captured both of them.

Store owner Erdem Uçar said with some amazement that
"they took the instruments from the shelf, tuned them and
then stole them."


                     Sivas province