"Heist & Release": 3 Turks Who Stole 3.000 Other Turks' Money in Germany, Captured at Airport Trying to Flee

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 27 July 2026)

               Industrial strength breaking and entering.

The mystery surrounding the bank robbery in North Rhine-Westphalia, 

Germany, last December, in which more than 3,000 Turkish citizens 

had their safe deposit boxes emptied, has been unraveled. Three Turks, 

allegedly responsible for the robbery, were apprehended at the airport 

while preparing to leave the country. It was determined that the thieves 

carried out this major robbery while already on trial for other thefts (!), 

and it is claimed that the Rammo gang was behind it.

The robbery, which took place at the Sparkasse Branch in Gelsenkirchen, 

North Rhine-Westphalia, on December 27-29, 2025 and described as the 

"heist of the century", was carried out with professional planning that 

is as good as a movie. 

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was in the  bank due to the New 

Year's holiday, the robbers infiltrated the building  from the multi-storey 

car park located right next to the branch. Heading towards the emergency 

exit door, which is impossible to open from the outside under normal 

conditions, the ski-masked robbers somehow opened the door and entered.

The good old days, when heists weren't so damn complicated!

The thieves, having reached the bank's archive room, proceeded to drill 

through the reinforced concrete wall of the main vault. Using massive 

industrial drills, the drilling began at midnight and was halted in the early

morning hours when the bank's fire alarm went off. Firefighters and private 

security arrived at the scene. 

However, the tremor in the basement went unnoticed, and since there was 

no smell of smoke, the alarm was deemed a "false alarm" and deactivated. 

The thieves breathed a sigh of relief and resumed their drilling operation ('!). 

After completing the drilling, the gang entered the vault through the 

massive hole they had created and proceeded to break into approximately 

3,100 safe deposit boxes, all belonging to Turkish citizens. The thieves, 

who opened nearly 95% of the safes in the branch, filled sacks with gold 

bars, family heirlooms, cash, and luxury watches. After spending two 

days in the bank, the thieves sped away from the parking lot in a black 

Audi RS 6 on Monday morning, December 29th.

While official authorities stated that the value of the stolen goods was at 

least between 10 and 30 million euros, the victims' lawyers announced 

that the actual loss, including cash and unregistered gold found in the safe, 

could range from 50 million to 300 million euros.

Closing the barn door after the horse ran away...

Police believe the thieves deliberately chose this branch because most 

of the robbed safes belonged to immigrant families of Turkish and Arab 

origin living in the area, so they shifted the investigation in that direction. 

All previous robberies of this nature were examined closely.

Police, noting similarities between the robbery and a bank heist on October 

26, 2023, in which €1.95 million was stolen, placed one of the suspects, 

Tolgay K., under technical and physical surveillance. Following this 

surveillance, police uncovered numerous details and arrested Tolgay K., 

who was on trial at the Bonn Regional Court for both bank robberies, 

after the court hearing.

Ilker C. and Serkan Ö., who are alleged to be accomplices, were 

apprehended and taken into custody at Berlin airport while attempting 

to check in for an international flight. Three other individuals are still 

being sought in connection with the incident. It is claimed that Tolgay K., 

Ilker C., and Serkan Ö., who allegedly carried out the robbery, are linked 

to the Rammo gang, an Arab-origin gang known for organized crime and 

large-scale robberies operating in Berlin and other major cities.

Eye tattoos are mandatory in the gang.

The Rammo family, who emigrated from Mardin to Germany in the 1980s 

and 1990s due to the Lebanese Civil War, first gained notoriety in 1992 

with a murder case in Berlin. Issa Remmo is considered the leader and 

head of the gang, known for organized crime and large-scale robberies. 

In 2017, the gang stole a giant gold coin called the "Big Maple Leaf," 

weighing 100 kilograms and worth approximately 3.3 million euros, 

from the Bode Museum in Berlin.

Two years later, historical diamonds and jewelry worth 113 million euros 

were stolen from a museum in Dresden; in 2023, five members of the 

gang were convicted of this crime.

"Slash & Release": Neighbor Kills Neighbor for Gold, in Bursa

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 25 July 2026)

Gold-crazed neighbor smiling all the while.

It was determined that Faize Karaca (77), whose throat was cut, was 

killed by her neighbor Şengül Demir (51), with whom the family had

a relationship, after the team sent to the house upon the request for help 

from her wheelchair-bound husband A.K. (82) in Mudanya district 

of Bursa.

The incident occurred on July 1st, around 6:00 PM, on the 3rd floor 

of the Selvi Apartment building on Atatürk Street in the Güzelyalı 

neighborhood. A.K., who was confined to a wheelchair, went 

out onto the balcony and asked his neighbors for help. Hearing A.K.'s 

cries for help, neighbors notified the 112 Emergency Call Center. Police 

and medical teams were dispatched to the address.

Upon entering the apartment, the teams found A.K.'s wife, Faize Karaca, 

lying on the floor in a pool of blood in the bedroom. Medical teams 

determined that Karaca had died and had cuts on her throat, believed to 

be from a sharp object. Following an examination by the prosecutor's 

office, Karaca's body was taken to the Bursa Forensic Medicine 

Institute for autopsy.

Şengül hanım claimed this book provoked her.

As part of the investigation launched by the Mudanya Public Prosecutor's 

Office, the Provincial Police Department's Public Security Branch teams 

determined that the suspect who killed Karaca was Şengül Demir, a 

neighbor with whom the family had a close relationship. A photograph 

of Şengül Demir with Faize Karaca, whom she had killed previously, 

was found, and during a search of her home, the bloodstained clothes 

she wore at the time of the murder were discovered.

It was learned that Şengül Demir, who confessed to the crime and hid 

five gold bracelets and a five-piece necklace found on Faize Karaca

in her home at a friend's house, claimed in her statement to the police 

that an argument broke out between her and the victim, saying, "I lost 

control. I wasn't aware of what I was doing." (!)

The suspect, whose gold was recovered from the address where she 

hid it, was arrested and sent to prison after appearing before the court.

"Snatch & Release": While on Holiday in Bali, Her "Tiny House" Was Stolen, in Adana

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 24 July 2026)

     Burcu hanım has filed a "missing tiny house" report..

In Adana, teacher Burcu Güven's "tiny house", worth approximately 

1,650,000 TL (about $35,000), was stolen while she was on vacation 

in Bali (!). Upon returning from her vacation and speaking with a friend, 

the teacher learned that her portable home had been stolen and requested 

help in finding it.

The incident occurred on June 7th in the Yeni Mahalle neighborhood 

of the central Seyhan district. Allegedly (!), a "tiny house'"with license 

plate 01 ALE 929, belonging to 37-year-old teacher Burcu Güven and 

valued at approximately 1,650,000 TL, was stolen from its location by 

unknown persons.

Güven, who was reportedly on vacation in Bali, Indonesia at the time of 

the incident, learned her "tiny house" was missing on June 30th after 

being informed by a friend. Investigations revealed that the "tiny house" 

had been missing from its location since June 7th. The Güven family 

filed a complaint at the police station.

It's a plague!

Speaking to reporters, Burcu Güven explained that she wanted her "tiny 

house" to be found as soon as possible, saying, "We bought it in January 

and left it where we bought it. Since our plot of land wasn't ready, we 

didn't want to do too much moving it back and forth. According to what 

we were told, it was stolen on June 7th. While talking to my friend, I 

said, 'I bought some really nice things for the "tiny house." And she said, 

'Congratulations, Burcu, you took it to the plot of land, but it's not there,' 

and that's when I learned it had been stolen."

Güven, describing how their dreams were stolen, said, "We were going 

to take it there when the land was ready. We were devastated when we 

learned and saw that it had been stolen. It wasn't just our house, it was 

our dream. We invested all our money there. I'm really very sad. We are 

waiting for news from the police right now."

"Snatch & Release": Fallen Man Victimized by "Bad Samaritan", in Fethiye

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 23 July 2026)

"Hmmm, what's the right thing to do?..."

In Muğla's Fethiye district on the morning of 20 July, an incident

reflected on security camera footage was such as to make one 

say "This is too much!"

A young man had fallen to the ground because of a heart problem.

Another man came to his side, but instead of helping the victim, he

rifled through his bag and wallet, fleeing with about 6,000 Tl (about

$127)  (!). 

The footage found its way onto social media and R.Y. was identified

as the heartless culprit. He was arrested and jailed. 

"...Yes! Save the wallet!"

"Distract & Release": Crewman Goes Overboard While Checking His Telephone, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 22 July 2026)

Must have been a must-see TikTok video.

Crewman Yasıin Konya (32) lost his balance and fell fatally into the

Golden Horn in Istanbul because he was looking at his telephone

when his boat bumped into the Atatürk Bridge as it passed 

underneath (!). 

The tourist boat had no guardrails on its bow, where Konya was

standing when the incident occurred. 

Kind of a tight sqeeze anyway. Best to stay alert!

Galata Bridge, at right, with traffic notice in red.

"Glide & (No) Release": Paraglider Pilot Lands Much Too Soon and Too Hard, in Çorum

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 21 July 2026)

              Insufficient wind in his sail.

Bayram Kurt (48), a paragliding pilot who lost his life after falling 

during the 3rd Traditional Paragliding and Highland Festival held

in the Oğuzlar district of Çorum, was sent off on his final journey 

in his hometown of Antalya. The moment of Kurt's fall was captured 

on a citizen's mobile phone camera.

Kurt, who came to Çorum from Antalya for the festivities 

organized by the Oğuzlar Municipality of Çorum yesterday, fell from 

a height of approximately 30 meters onto a rocky area shortly after 

taking off from Tekke Mountain, which is 1540 meters high. After 

receiving initial treatment from medical teams dispatched to the scene 

following a report, Kurt was taken to Oğuzlar State Hospital.

Despite all the doctors' efforts, he could not be saved. After the 

autopsy was completed, Kurt's body was handed over to his 

relatives and sent to Antalya by road. Kurt was buried there after the 

afternoon prayer. Meanwhile, the moment of his fall was captured 

on a citizen's mobile phone.

The investigation launched by the Gendarmerie teams regarding the 

accident continues.

"Pray & Release": German Turk Sparks Uproar on THY Flight, Refusing to Sit Next to a Woman on "Religious Grounds"

english links to original English article

(loyaltylobby.com by Sebastian Powell, 19 July 2026)

A German citizen originally from Turkey caused a security 

incident during his Turkish Airlines flight to Düsseldorf 

where he hit a flight attendant, arguing he wouldn’t sit next 

to a woman due to sharia law. (!)  

The incident occurred on June 1, 2025, but was never disclosed to 

the public until Friday when the media picked it up as legal 

proceedings are now underway against the 29-year-old passenger. 

After the commotion on board, the German Federal Police in 

Düsseldorf took the perpetrator into custody and laid charges, 

during which he admitted to battering the crew members with 

outrageous statements.  

Suspect has hired an appropriate lawyer.

The 29-year-old reportedly invoked Sharia law, the Islamic  

legal system, to justify his actions. When a flight attendant 

confronted him, the man allegedly punched her in the face. 

At the airport, the passenger reportedly admitted the act to 

federal police officers. According to police, the man stated 

during his arrest that it was perfectly acceptable to hit a woman. (!) 

//following evidently color commentary by Sebastian Powell://

"I don’t quite understand how this can suddenly escalate and 

become a problem while the plane is already in the air. This 

neanderthal knew exactly who was sitting next to him from the 

time of boarding. How is he suddenly offended by having to sit 

next to a female passenger after the flight is underway?  The 

explanation is, of course, obvious. Had he kicked off a riot over 

this on the ground in Istanbul, the Turkish security forces would 

have taken him down asap and definitely not in a kind and 

gentle fashion. Neither Turkish Airlines nor the Turkish state 

recognizes or accommodates Sharia Law. They would have 

put this guy into place faster than he could cite a verse. Of 

course, police and the authorities in Germany are much easier 

to deal with, and they let people get away with pretty much 

anything." (!)

Ladies may want to consider alternate transportation options.