Slick Heist Plan Nets Guard Two Million Dollars

heist links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 8 September 2011)

Selahattin Aktürk (26), who works as a security guard at a bank in Bağlar
district of Diyarbakır province, set out yesterday at 1030 in the morning to
take nearly 4 million dollars in two bags to the Istanbul-bound plane. But
on the way to the airport Aktürk allegedly forced his unnamed partner, the
driver of the armored car belonging to the bank, bearing plate number
34 ZM 3139, to stop the vehicle on Şeyhşamil Mahallesi Cengizler
Boulevard by threatening him with a gun.

Aktürk made his partner get out of the vehicle, which he had stopped at
gunpoint on a street where there were no security or MOBESE cameras,
tied his arms and feet and locked him in the trunk. Aktürk then turned up
the sound of the music playing in the vehicle to the maximum so that his
partner's cries could not be heard. He then took one of the bags holding
the 4 million dollars they were taking to the airport for the Istanbul plane
and absconded with one bag filled with 2 million dollars.

When local residents complained to police about the loud music the police
arrived and determined that the vehicle's doors were locked and that
someone was in the trunk. The unnamed security guard was freed from
the locked trunk and related the story of the heist. The police found one
bag with 2 million dollars in the vehicle and began an operation to capture
Aktürk who took the other 2 million dollar-filled bag and escaped. Aktürk,
who accomplished the robbery with his incredible plan, had worked at the
bank for one year as a security guard. He is now being sought everywhere.

Daddy-Daughter Friction Proves Fatal for Dad

daughters links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper and DHA News Agency, 9 September 2011)

The suspects in the murder of musician Mustafa Ural, who was found dead
in July by a gunshot to the head in his office in Gaziantep, turned out to be
his daughters. Mustafa Ural worked as a vocalist for artists like Sezen Aksu,
Sibel Can, Edip Akbayram and Suna Yıldızoğlu. The contradictory
statements given by his daughters, Müge Hatice Ural and Orkide Gamze
Kapkın, led police to deepen their investigation, during which traces of
gunpowder were found on Müge Hatice Ural's hand.

Police then took Müge Hatice Ural (28), Orkide Gamze Kapkın (30) and
her boyfriend Murat Çam (33) into custody. In a search of Çam's home
empty cartridges that were suitable for use in the gun used in the crime were
found.  It is thought that Mustafa Ural was killed because of problems he
had with his daughter Orkide Gamze Kapkın and that Müge Hatice Ural's
hand picked up the gunpowder when she hid the murder weapon.  The
three suspects were arrested by the on-duty court.

Turkish Magic Carpet for U.S.-bound Rhinos

rhinos links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 9 September 2011)

Turkish Airlines (THY) has carried rhinoceroses for the first time in its history.
The transport of the rhinoceroses was accomplished aboard Boeing-777 and
Airbus-330 type aircraft via the Johannesburg-Istanbul-New York route.
THY has shared all the details and photographs of the rhinoceroses'
interesting journey on its Facebook page.

Prior to departing from Johannesburg, the six rhinos were sedated by their
handlers, using the requisite medicines. They were loaded onto the aircraft
in containers prepared in accordance with conditions established by IATA
and CITES. The six rhinos will live in a secure fashion in three different zoos
in America and they all reached their destinations in fine health.

From Chile to Istanbul to Pick Pockets

chile links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 7 September 2011)

A Chilean, 74 year-old Victor Manuel Pezoa Barrera, was apprehended
when he attracted the attention of  special security teams while picking
pockets on the tramway in Istanbul. The teams began their operations as
thievery has increased on the Kabataş-Zeytinburnu tramway line and
Pezoa Barrera's actions caused suspicion. The teams surveilled the elderly
man and caught him picking a pocket at Zeytinburnu. It was determined
that the suspect had made secret compartments in his belt and hid the
money he stole there. A search of the suspect turned up 300 Euros,
340TL, three cellphones - one of them an Iphone, and two cameras.

details links to follow-up article

(Sabah Newspaper, 9 September 2011)

Chilean Victor Manuel Pezoa Barrera confessed that he robbed a large
number of people, including tourists, while touring Istanbul. The Chilean
pickpocket claimed in his statement to police to be a 'kleptomaniac',
saying that 'I like Istanbul. I toured and I robbed. Actually I don't need
to but I have an illness.' Cameras, cellphones and wallets were found in
a suitcase in the hotel where Barrera was staying in Aksaray.

He gave his statement at the police station with the help of a certified
Spanish translator, explaining that 'since I was planning to leave Istanbul
in two days I wanted to tour around one more time. I got caught just at
the moment I was focusing on grabbing someone's money. The previous
day I had picked the pocket of a tourist with the same technique.'

A worker at the hotel where Barrera stayed said that 'he was clean-shaven
and well dressed each day.' Following processing at the police station
Barrera will be taken to court to be arraigned for three separate robbery
charges and for attempting to bribe a police officer. The Chilean thief will
then be sent back to his country.

Policeman Hasan Y. caught Berrara in the act the day before yesterday.
He stated that 'I caught him taking 40TL from a citizen's pocket. Those
who saw me trying to take him under control started to cry out 'what do
you want from that old man?!'  When he realized that he couldn't get
away he offered me a 300TL bribe which I didn't accept. I was surprised
when I heard that he was from Chile.'

One Beer Too Many

beer links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 7 September 2011)

In the Esat neighborhood of Çankaya district, Ankara, three friends were
playing a board game of okey. One of them, Yalçın Göz Olcay D., went
to the rest room and noticed upon his return that his beer had been finished
off. He argued with his friends, demanding to know 'how could you drink my
beer!?' In response, he was told 'what's the big deal? I found half a glass of
beer and I drank it.'  The resulting dispute ended when Yalçın Göz Olcay
was stabbed twice in the stomach and died.

Cellar Dig for Treasure All for Naught

treasure links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 5 September 2011)

In Fatih district four treasure hunters excavated the cellar of an apartment
building in search of an urban legend - 'an Armenian woman who had a
shop at the Covered Bazar buried her gold here.' Among those taken into
custody in connection with the incident was the apartment owner.

The legend of the Armenian woman who buried her gold has spread from
ear to ear in Yedikule neighborhood and prompted four treasure hunters to
open a 20-meter hole in the basement of an apartment. The cellar floor of
the four story apartment building at 27 Imam Hüseyin Street was rented by
two people for 400TL three months ago. Four treasure hunters then cut
into the floor and started to fill bags full of dirt. They advanced their excavation
about 20 meters but when they realized that they wouldn't find anything they
said 'we're not comfortable in the basement so we're turning it over to our
relatives' and vacated.

However, on 29 August noises once again started coming from the house
and police were called to the scene. The treasure hunters were caught in the
hole. House owner Sami Önal, his father Zeki Önal and one of the renters,
Ömer Kaya, were subsequently released by the court on duty. The lawyer
for the other apartment dwellers, Metin Erkan, said they wanted the house
returned to its previous state. He expained that 'this has been talked about
for ages here, that an Armenian woman lived here. Supposedly she returned
and told the people living here that 'I buried something for safekeeping here.'
That's probably why we've suffered this incident. They dug 20 meters. Above
there are eight apartments. The welfare of those living here was never
considered. We're frightened to live here. The dug into the ground to the
water level. It was like the first part of a horror film.They dug this much but
we didn't hear a thing. A very professional job.'

Nusret Açan, who sells pickles in the neighborhood, said that they live in
Istanbul's oldest area so it's normal for such gossip to float around. She
added 'but Greeks lived here, not Armenians.We're having a good laugh
about this, wondering where we should dig next.' Nadır Kıpçak, who has
been a barber in the neighborhood for 40 years, stated after the incident
that urban legends are talked about in the coffee houses, 'everyone repeats
what's been heard here and there. An Armenian woman was mentioned.
She supposedly had a shop at the Covered Bazar and buried her gold here.
But the building is only 50 years old so if there were any gold it would have
been found when the building was being built.'

Fatal Distraction: Blondes

blondes links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 4 September 2011)

Businessman Ali Küçükoğlu was spending time with family and friends while
anchored off Heybeli Island when he fell victim to a murder-like accident.
The businessman lost his life when his craft was hit from behind at high speed
by a speedboat.

Mechanical engineer and businessman Ali Küçükoğlu (54) set out into the
Sea of Marmara with his wife, two daughters and family friends Saadet and
Abdurrahman Özbağrıaçık aboard the boat 'Mistral Wilmington', which he
had purchased 20 days ago, for a celebration. After touring around the water
for a while the businessman and his companions anchored the boat at
Çamlimanı off Heybeli.

Following lunch, the women and two children went to the front of the boat to
sun themselves while Küçükoğlu and Özbağrıaçık sat in the rear and began
to chat. At this moment a speedboat driven by textile businessman Ilker
Yiğit Hepkeskin (38), who had been touring around with two Ukranian girls,
hit Küçükoğlu's boat anchored in the bay. Özbağrıaçık saw the speedboat
racing toward them and jumped in the water to save himself. But Küçükoğlu,
covered in blood, collapsed on the boat.

A Coast Guard team arrived on the scene and brought Küçükoğlu to shore
but despite all efforts he could not be saved. His funeral was held at the
Divinity Faculty Mosque at Marmara University, after which he was buried
at Ulus Cemetary.

Özbağrıaçık said that 'claims that Ali died from a heart attach are untrue.
There were two cuts and bruises on Alı's back.' Ilker Yiğit, who caused the
accident, was brought to court and arrested. In his statement to the
prosecutor Hepkeskin explained that 'the speedboat's gas pedal got stuck.
When the girls panicked I was trying to calm them and then we hit the boat.'