TNT Istanbul Murder Edition: Life is Cheap

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 15 February 2020)


                         'Over-Eager Beaver' Kiraz

On 15 July 2019, İbrahim Halil Kiraz (21)  was found seriously
injured at the hotel in Maltepe, Istanbul, where he worked.  Kiraz
was taken to a hospital and subsequently transferred to the Balık Göl
State Hospital in Şanlıurfa, in southeastern Turkey, where he died on
10 December 2019.

Istanbul police determined that rather than having been injured in a
fall, Kiraz was a murder victim.   Through physical and technical
pursuit, police identified his fellow hotel workers Batuhan A., İslam K.,
Kerem N., Erkal Ç. and Ufuk K. as murder suspects and took them
into custody.



It turned out that the suspects killed Kiraz because he was working
'too hard', prompting the hotel boss to demand as much work from the
others (!).   On the day of the murder, the suspects beat Kiraz, threw
him under a staircase and went back to their duties.  All five were sent
to jail and a sixth, Demir Ç., is already in prison on another charge (!).



                                           Slackers

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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 16 February 2020)


          Life story: from Iran to Switzerland to the viaduct.


Five days ago a body with multiple stab wounds and bruises was found
under a viaduct in Büyükçekmece, Istanbul.  Police retrieved an entry
card for a residence from the victim's clothing, went to the site and
determined that the body was that of Iranian Taherbanai Shahwerdi (44),
a Swiss citizen.

On the day of his murder, Shahwerdi had met in the Maslak section of
the city  with a group that forceably took him to a house in Avcılar.
When Shahwerdi resisted en route, he was beaten to death under the
viaduct.  As suspects, Iranians Mahdi N., Ali Asgar R., Saeıd G. and
Akile A. were taken into custody, along with Turks Ahmet S. and
Aytuğ D.   Police found Shahwerdi's cellphone, watch and a 200,000 TL
(about $35,000) promisory note he had been forced to sign,  at the
addresses of the suspects.

Ali Asgar R.'s common-law wife Akile G. claimed that Shahwerdi had
been sending her sexually harassing messages.  The suspects admitted
beating Shahwerdi but none of them took responsibility for the stabbing.