"Fleece & Release": 6th Century Statue Seized in Ankara 7 Years After Its Theft in Isparta

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 25 December 2024)

               The tales he could tell...

In Gölbaşı, Ankara, on 22 November police stopped a vehicle

in which three people were riding.  A search of the vehicle

revealed the 70-centimeter (27.5 inches) statue of a priest from

the 6th Century that had been stolen from the Yalvaç Museum

in Yalvaç district of Isparta province seven years ago (!). 

The statue was seized by police and Mustafa Küçük (45), 

Hasan Kafaoğlu (46) and Mustafa Kara (48) were taken into

custody.  They were jailed for violating law number 2863,

concerning the protection of cultural and natural treasures. 

The suspects rejected the charges.  Küçük, telling the judge

he makes a living in the fertilizer and acid business, "explained"

that the statue had been given to his son as a wedding present.

When he realized it could not be sold he decided to bring it to

a museum in Ankara and was apprehended en route (!).