"Beat & Release": 42 Illegal Migrants Nabbed in Bitlis - Next Stop El Salvador?!

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 7 May 2025)

Cramped quarters...

Anti-smuggling police in Bitlis stopped a TIR (tractor-trailer) 

loaded with wooden palettes in the city center and nabbed 42

illegal migrant inside the truck's trailer.  They were all handed

over to Immigration Bureau officials for deportation. Two 

suspects taken into custody for facilitating human trafficking 

were jailed. 

...can get even more cramped. 

"Beat & Release": Rowdy "Cowboys" Demand Photo Money from Visitors, in Kayseri

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 7 May 2025)

                "Uncle Ali" channeling John Wayne. 

The largest herd of wild horses in Turkey can be found in 

Hürmetçi village in Hacılar district of Kayseri province.  

Visitors to the area make sure to take pictures of the horses

and one visitor, Hanifi Öztekin of Istanbul, came with his

wife, older sister and 4-year-old child last October.

The Öztekin visitors were told that they had to pay 100 

liras to take photos but Öztekin demurred and began to

leave.  However (!), their car was blocked by Ali Kemer

(56), known as "Uncle Ali", who was dressed as an American 

wild west cowboy, and three others on horseback. The

"cowboys" then began to threaten and insult Öztekin, 

beating his car with sticks.  

As Öztekin recorded the attack on his phone, his wife

called the police and the four "cowboys" were arrested but

released on judicial supervision.  Fatma Öztekin related that

"I grabbed one of their telephones and ran to the car so they

wouldn't hurt my brother.  Then the rowdies surrounded the

car on their horses."

       They need "Uncle Ali" like a hole in the head.

As for "Uncle Ali", he "explained" that "When my horse 

reared up, I dropped my phone.  If she hadn't taken my phone

I would have apologized. But that is my area, so of course I

wanted money from them to take pictures. Anyway, what

happened happened.  I'll pay the fine."

The four "cowboys" have been charged by the Kayseri 

public prosecutor , who has asked for sentences of up

to 10 years in jail.   "Uncle Ali" claimed that "we look after

176 horses, day and night.  If we don't take care of them, they

won't be able to survive." 

However (!), the Hacılar district chief stated that the "cowboys" 

merely use the horses as a backdrop for their promotional videos 

and don't take care of them.  Consequently, "Uncle Ali" was 

fined 190,000 Tl (about $5,000).  

"Fleece & Release": 13-Year-Old Thief Steals Two Policemen's Wives' Phones but Walks Free, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 4 May 2025)

B.D. getting used to "can't get arrested"

at a young age.

In Istanbul's Esenyurt district on 25 February, 13-year-old

inveterate thief B.D. and a friend stole the telephone of a 

policeman's wife (!) and then sold the phone to a willing buyer.  

Police checked surveillance video and nabbed B.D. and the 

buyer, who were both jailed. 

However (!), soon after B.D. was released and he and a friend

proceeded to steal the telephone belonging to Ü.S., also the 

wife of a policeman (!) on 8 April.   In addition, Ü.S. is the 

relative of Fethi Sekin, a policeman who was killed while 

preventing terrorists from exploding a bomb in front of the 

Izmir courthouse on 4 January.  

Istanbul police once again tracked down and arrested B.D.

But he was released by the court on judicial supervision (!). 

"Retire & Release": Ex-Governor-Turned-Treasure Hunter Nabbed at Illegal Excavation, in Mersin

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 3 May 2025)

Newly retired ex-governor dabbling in treasure hunting.

In Mersin's Gülnar district, the Gendarmerie got a tip that an

illegal excavation was underway at the historicl Mennan 

Fortress in Kalecik in Beydilli village, and as former Şirnak 

governor (!)  Hüseyin Başkaya (65)  and retired Gendarmerie 

Col. Ali Aydın (54), along with M.T., A.Ü., H.A. and E.Y., 

got in their cars to flee from the scene, they were caught 

red-handed. 

H.B. had served as a governor in Şirnak from 1999-2003 and 

handed in his retirement papers just two days ago (!).  After the

Gendarmerie received permission to arraign him he was

released, as were all the others. 

 

"Beat & Release": Complicated Love Triangle Quarrel Ends in Murder...or Suicide, in Bursa

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 2 May 2025)

Police will use triangulation techniques to solve this one.

In Bursa on the night of 27 April, Ertuğrul Karadaşlı (48) met

in Nilüfer district with Y.O. whom he had lived with for 12

years but separated from two years ago.  As the two talked,

Karadaşlı received a message on his phone from Simge İvedi

(31), with whom he had lived for the past two years.  

Seeing this message, Y.O. called Simge hanım and summoned

her to come the scene, which she did shortly thereafter.  Next,

Karadaşlı called a friend and asked him to take Y.O. to her 

home. With Y.O. now gone, Karadaşlı and Simge hanım began

to argue and (somehow!) Karadaşlı suffered a stab wound to

his chest and died. 

Simge hanım was arrested and charged with murder. However (!),

she rejected the charge  and claimed that Karadaşlı had stabbed

himself, "explaining" that "As I was heading toward my car,

Ertuğrul was coming from behind screaming and with his 

chest bared, yelling 'See what you've done to me?!'.  That's when

I saw the blood, but I had not stabbed him; he stabbed himself."

An autopsy will be performed to determine the angle of entry

of the knife so that a decision can be made as to whether it was

a murder or a suicide. 

"Seat & Release": Suicide-by-Anal Bottle Thrust Attempt, in Turgutlu

 türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 8 October 2009)

Experts say it was just a cry for help because...

In Turgutlu district of Manisa province, K.Y. (61) was brought

to a hospital by his wife N.Y. (56) last Sunday evening, and a 

mineral water bottle was extracted from his anus. He told his 

wife he intended to commit suicide with the bottle (!). 

K.Y. remained in the hospital for two days under observation

after the "extraction" and was released from the hospital the

day before yesterday.  K.Y. declined to give a statement but

his wife "explained" that "When I got back from shopping I

found my husband writhing in pain. I asked what the problem

was and he told me  'I tried to commit suicide by putting

the bottle in my anus in the morning'.  That's when I brought

him to the hospital." 

....if he'd really been serious about it...

Bottle sales in Turgutlu have been banned pending

an investigation. 

"Dive & Release": Toddler's Safe Landing in Dumpster Shocks Cat Munching Inside, in Nevşehir

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 29 April 2025)

      Dumpster diving Muhammed and panicked cat. 

In the Kapucubaşı neighborhood of Nevşehir, security camera 

footage captured the astonishing fall and safe landing of 

2-year-old Muhammed Nur El Muhammed into a dumpster.

The trash in the dumpster miraculously cushioned the 

toddler's fall, but a cat feasting in the dumpster was 

panicked by the youngster's surprise arrival. 

Passers-by saw the boy's fall and called police and medics

to the scene.  Muhammed's right arm was broken in the

fall, but he was otherwise OK. (Cat was too shaken to comment.)