"Review & Release": Car's Side Mirror Frame Traced to Suspect in 11-year-old Murder Case, in Manisa

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Anadolu Ajansı website, 28 September 2026)

       What's known generically as "good police work".

Teams from the Gendarmerie Crime Investigation Unit (JASAT) 

identified the perpetrator of the 2015 murder of Meral Babacan—

whose body was found by the roadside in Manisa at that time—

by tracing a car mirror frame discovered at the scene (!); one 

person has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Examining a plastic fragment found at the scene—the only piece 

of evidence available—JASAT teams determined that it was the 

side-mirror housing of a specific vehicle make and model.

Acting on this detail regarding the mirror housing, JASAT teams 

analyzed footage from the Urban Security Management System (KGYS) 

cameras covering the day of the incident, performing time and distance 

calculations.

Avenged, 11 years later.

The investigation confirmed that Babacan had walked toward her 

workplace after getting off the bus and established that a vehicle—

matching the mirror housing found at the scene exactly—had passed

 through the area at the time of the accident.

Tracing the vehicle, the teams discovered that the car had been sold 

to another individual in Şanlıurfa in 2017. A conversation with the 

current owner confirmed that the side mirror had been replaced 

in the past.

R.Ç., the individual driving the vehicle at the time of the incident, was 

apprehended in an operation conducted by JASAT teams and 

subsequently arrested by the duty magistrate.

"We do not overlook any case or any clue." Interior Minister Mustafa 

Çiftçi issued a statement regarding the matter on his social media account.

Thought he'd gotten away with it...

Çiftçi stated the following:

"While reopening and solving previously unresolved cases, we also 

relentlessly pursue crimes committed today and bring the perpetrators to 

justice. Thanks to the strengthening of our forensic capabilities and the 

re-examination of past files, another case that had remained unsolved for

 11 years has been resolved.

Through the dedicated and determined efforts of our Police and 

Gendarmerie forces, 99.3 percent of crimes committed against individuals 

since the beginning of the year have been solved. I congratulate all our 

security forces who work day and night to combat crime, our JASAT 

teams who worked patiently and meticulously to solve this case, and all 

the Gendarmerie personnel who contributed to this effort."

"Flush & Release": Lavish Toilet Renovation for Turkish Grand National Assembly, in Ankara

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Cumhuriyet Newspaper, 27 September 2026)

From this...

30-million TL (about $613,000)  contract for the renovation of 48 

restrooms in Parliament: Cost per restroom is 612,000 TL (about

$12,500) (!)

The cost of renovation work carried out on restrooms in the Grand 

National Assembly of Turkey’s (TBMM) service buildings has been 

revealed. It has been reported that 29.4 million TL was spent on 

renovating 48 restrooms in preparation for the Parliament's new 

legislative year.

The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) Department of 

Operations and Construction held a tender on August 27 for the 

"renovation and repair of wet areas in the additional service buildings." 

Twelve companies submitted bids for the tender.

The tender commission eliminated invalid bids (?!), reducing the 

number of bids to nine. It was reported that the highest bid submitted 

was 43 million 437 thousand TL, while the lowest was 29 million 

419 thousand TL.

...to this.

After reviewing the bids, the tender commission reached its final 

decision on September 23. A contract was signed with the company 

Altay Grup İnşaat on September 23, with a contract value of 

29 million 419 thousand TL.

The tender dossier revealed that, among the restrooms slated for repair 

and renovation, 12 were located in the stone building, 11 in the 

personnel service building, four at the Ala Social Facilities, and 

21 in the personnel service building that formerly housed the 

Court of Cassation.

It's been a while since the last renovation...

"Fleece & Release": Hotel Staff Stole $1 Million To Open Their Own Hotel, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 26 September 2026)

                      "It's for a worthy cause...our own."

The general manager, the accounting manager, and six other employees 

were detained in Istanbul's Fatih district on allegations of causing a loss 

of approximately $1 million (!) to the five-star hotel where they worked. 

Security camera footage captured the suspects pocketing money received 

from guests at the reception, and it was determined that the general 

manager and the accounting manager had used the stolen funds to take 

over the operation of a 20-room boutique hotel (!). Five suspects were 

formally arrested in connection with the incident, while three others 

were placed under house arrest.

Ö.Ş., the owner of a 5-star hotel in Fatih, filed a complaint with the 

Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, alleging that his money had 

been stolen by his employees. An investigation launched in response 

uncovered a theft amounting to approximately $1 million.

   Hotel staff very familiar with the "five-finger discount".

During an investigation initiated by the Fraud Bureau, police teams 

examined the hotel's security camera footage and determined that 

reception staff were pocketing cash received from guests. As the 

investigation deepened following this discovery, it was determined 

that the theft was being carried out in an organized manner.

Police teams conducted an operation on September 21 after determining 

that the hotel was operating at a loss despite maintaining an 85% 

occupancy rate for two years. During the operation, the hotel's female 

general manager, Sidar Y. (45), and accounting manager Selman M.K. 

(47) were detained, along with staff members E.K. (27), M.A. (38), 

S.Ç. (52), M.T. (34), M.S.Ö. (19), and A.B. (43), who worked in the 

reception, bellhop, and accounting departments.

Smiling faces sometimes...

Investigations conducted by the Fraud Bureau revealed that the suspects 

misappropriated payments made by customers who booked from abroad 

but failed to arrive, transferred restaurant revenues to their own accounts, 

and stole the fees paid by guests who upgraded to larger rooms after 

being dissatisfied with their original accommodations. It was determined 

that the suspects had stolen approximately $1 million over the past 

two years.

Further investigations revealed that the hotel's general manager, Sidar Y., 

and accounting manager, Selman M.K., had used the stolen funds to lease ,

and operate a 20-room hotel in Fatih (!).

Following the completion of procedures at the Public Order Branch 

Directorate, suspects Sidar Y. and Selman M.K., along with reception staff 

E.K., M.A., and S.Ç., were arrested. House arrest measures were imposed 

on M.T., M.S.Ö., and A.B.

"God-like & Release": Famous Footballer Mo Salah Sat on a Rock. Now It's a Shrine, in Trabzon

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Haber.com website, 25 September 2026)

           What once was just a rock, is now a holy place.

Where is Salah Plateau, and in which district is it located? The spot 

where Mohamed Salah, now playing for the Trabzonspor football

club, sat on a rock—a topic of curiosity among football fans—has 

become a trending subject on social media. 

So, where is Salah Plateau located, which district does it belong to, 

and exactly where is the rock that Mohamed Salah sat on?

The location where Mohamed Salah sat on a rock during his visit to 

Turkey has sparked curiosity. As questions like "Where is Salah Plateau?" 

and "Where is the spot—and in which district—where Mohamed Salah 

sat on the rock?" gained traction on search engines, football fans began 

researching the area's location.

The area, which quickly came to be known on social media as "Salah 

Plateau," is actually named Kurtdere Plateau. So, where is the rock 

Salah sat on, in which district is Kurtdere Plateau located, and how 

does one get there?

Get in the queue!

Now like tours to Lourdes, Mecca and Graceland...

"Flee & (No) Release": Well-dressed "Irregular" Migrants Nabbed by Turkish Coast Guard, in Milas

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(DHA News Agency website, 25 September 2026)

                           Why not dress for success?

In the Milas district of Muğla, 12 irregular (!) migrants and two 

suspected migrant smugglers were apprehended while attempting to 

leave the country on a sailing boat. It was noted that the irregular 

migrants were wearing stylish casual clothing to avoid attracting 

attention.

Coast Guard teams deployed to the area off the coast of Milas around 

2:00 PM the other day, acting on information that a group of irregular 

migrants was aboard a sailing boat. The teams intercepted the moving 

vessel. Twelve irregular migrants—including four children—and two 

suspected migrant smugglers were apprehended on board. The migrants 

were brought ashore and handed over to the Provincial Directorate of 

Migration Management.

"Hmmmmm...fancy boat and fancy clothes. Something's fishy!"

Meanwhile, the attire of the apprehended migrants drew attention; 

they were observed wearing stylish, everyday clothing in an apparent 

attempt to avoid attracting notice.

"Rage & Release": Old Traffic Dispute Leads to Murder of Father of Eight, in Adana

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 23 September 2026)

                    Eight kids left without their dad.

Suspects who shot and killed Yaşar Akman—a father of eight—in the 

back in the Seyhan district of Adana were apprehended in a police 

operation. The murder stemmed from a dispute over the cost of vehicle 

repairs following a traffic accident involving the parties five months 

earlier. The gunman, who claimed in his statement that he "had no 

intention to kill," and the other suspect were remanded in custody 

by the court.

The murder occurred around 01:00 on September 15 in the Havuzlubahçe 

neighborhood of Seyhan district. A dispute broke out when suspects 

Murat Buşayi and Fahrettin Turgay encountered Yaşar Akman, with 

whom they had a feud.

During the incident, which quickly escalated into a fight, Buşayi shot 

Yaşar Akman—a father of eight—in the back with a pistol. While 

Akman collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely, the suspects fled 

the scene. Although a medical team dispatched to the location following 

a report rushed him to the hospital, Akman could not be saved. After 

the autopsy, his body was collected by his relatives and laid to rest 

at Küçükoba Cemetery.

Teams from the Homicide Bureau launched an investigation into the 

incident and examined security camera footage from the area. It was 

revealed that the parties had been involved in a traffic accident 

approximately five months earlier and had a dispute regarding the cost 

of repairing the damage to their vehicles; this disagreement had 

reportedly led to animosity between them. 

It was determined that Turgay, accompanied by Murat Buşayi, had 

gone to see Akman on the day of the incident. Police detained the 

suspects during a raid on the address where they were hiding.

In his statement, Buşayi said, "I wanted to shoot him in the leg, but he 

was hit in the back. I had no intention of killing him." Fahrettin Turgay, 

meanwhile, claimed he had no connection to the incident. Following 

the completion of police procedures, Murat Buşayi and Fahrettin Turgay 

were referred to the courthouse and subsequently arrested by the court.

"Release & Release": Mardin's "Marilyn Monroe" Free at Last!...Pending Trial in Mardin

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 23 September 2026)

news of her arrest! click here!

         Still hounded by the press after all these years.

Melek Karahan, a 50-year-old woman from Mardin known as the 

"Mardin Marilyn Monroe"—who had been arrested for "publicly 

disseminating misleading information" due to social media posts 

regarding FETÖ's coup attempt on July 15, 2016—was released 

at her first hearing.

Provincial Security Directorate teams launched an investigation 

following allegations that Melek Karahan—known as the "Marilyn 

Monroe of Mardin"—had made social media posts deemed to contain 

criminal elements regarding FETO's coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

 

Karahan, who was detained on July 17, was referred to the courthouse

after police processing. Following her interrogation by the prosecutor, 

she was brought before the duty court and arrested on charges of 

"publicly disseminating misleading information." The first hearing of 

the case filed against Karahan took place today at the Mardin 3rd 

Court of First Instance. During the hearing, the prosecution presented 

its final opinion, seeking her punishment under Articles 217/A and 218 

of the Turkish Penal Code.

And still can't stay outta trouble!

Following the presentation of the prosecutor's opinion, Karahan—who 

participated in the hearing via the Audio and Visual Information System 

(SEGBİS) from the prison where she is detained—presented her defense; 

she expressed remorse and requested his release pending trial. The court 

panel ordered Karahan's release, and the hearing was adjourned until 

October 6.

After the hearing, Karahan's lawyer, Elif Narin Dursun, spoke to reporters. 

Dursun stated, "Today, a decision for release was issued regarding my 

client following the proceedings conducted under Article 217 of the 

Turkish Penal Code. The hearing for the final verdict has been postponed 

for two weeks. We hope to attend and present our defense regarding the 

merits of the case. During the hearing, the prosecutor presented their 

opinion on the merits, calling for a conviction. 

The opinion sought punishment under Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal 

Code, as well as under the joint provision of Article 218. Since this opinion—

and the prosecution's request for a specific penalty—was unfavorable to our 

position, we requested additional time. We will present our defense on the 

merits at the next hearing."