"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.