"Fleece & Release": Foreign Law Student Duped Turkish Homebuyers With Fake Website, in Bursa

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 13 December 2025)

    One blonde who's not so dumb. Maybe too much so.

Law School student defrauded more than 50 people of 1 million TL

E.A. (20), a foreign national law faculty student who defrauded citizens 

of 1 million TL (about $23,000) by setting up a fake website, and who

was caught in the student dorm where she was staying, was arrested. 

It was learned that the suspect, who was followed by the cyber police, 

would hang up the phone on the victims who called her saying, 

"I'm sleepy, go and complain to the police." (!)

E.A., studying at Bursa Uludağ University Faculty of Law, allegedly 

created a fake TOKİ (Housing Development Administration of Turkey) 

application website online. Citizens who accessed the fake site, filled 

out the application form, and made the requested payment to the given

account number, were met with a "Your application is invalid" warning. 

E.A. was intrigued by the "unless" part.

When they called the contact number provided on the site, E.A. allegedly

defrauded them a second time, telling them, "Your application has been 

suspended, you need to make another payment." After making the second

payment, they again received the same invalid application warning, 

realizing they had been scammed. E.A. then told those who called her

again, "I'm sleepy, it's bedtime. Go and file a complaint with the police," 

and hung up.

Following complaints from citizens who realized they had been 

scammed, the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an 

investigation into the crime of "aggravated fraud through information 

systems." Teams from the Provincial Police Department's Cyber ​​Crimes 

Unit identified the suspect and placed her under technical and physical 

surveillance. It was determined that the suspect contacted the victims 

through a link she created on Telegram, and that she told a friend on the 

phone, "They are applying to become homeowners, and I am becoming 

a homeowner with their money."

The suspect, E.A., was apprehended and taken into custody on December 

9th during an operation at the student residence where she was staying in 

the city center. A search of the house yielded numerous digital materials 

and documents used for fraudulent purposes.

"Rage & Release": Woman Torched by Jealous Rival to Keep Her From Boyfriend, in Kadıköy

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 11 December 2025)

 

                          Flaming envy's consequence.

Sitting in front of an entertainment venue in Caferağa neighborhood 

in Kadıköy, Istanbul,  on November 1, Gözde Yılmaz (33) was 

making a phone call.  After Gözde hanım hung up, the suspect Sibel 

Arya Geriş approached her, poured a flammable substance on her, 

and set her on fire with a lighter (!). 

Following the attack, suspect Sibel hanım fled the scene, while Gözde 

hanım, engulfed in flames, was assisted by her friends and bystanders. 

Suffering from second and third-degree burns, Gözce hanım was taken 

to Kartal Lütfi Kırdar City Hospital for treatment.

Even on TV, this is too much!

Sibel hanım was arrested on November 1st. The indictment, prepared

by the Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, states that Sibel 

hanım arrived at the premises at 1:00 AM, sat down, and then 

approached the victim, Gözde hanım, who was sitting with friends. 

Sibel hanım allegedly poured a flammable substance on Yılmaz's face, 

neck, and part of her body, leaving her unable to escape. 

The indictment alleges that Sibel hanım committed the act with the 

intention of keeping the victim away from her boyfriend (!). The 

prosecution is seeking a prison sentence of 2 years and 3 months to

4 years and 6 months for Sibel hanım on charges of "intentional 

wounding with a weapon." The defendant is expected to appear before 

the Anatolian Criminal Court in the coming days, based on the 

indictment.

"Beat & Release": Local Football Match Devolves Into Brawl Instigated by Host Town's Mayor, in Niğde

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 11 December 2025)

More action inside than on the field.

In Niğde, a fight broke out between two groups after a football match, 

and it was alleged that Birol Demirdelen, the CHP mayor of Yazıhüyük, 

beat the visiting players with a stick. The mayor denied the accusations

in a statement.

A group of young people from Kildere town in Niğde came to Yazıhüyük 

to play a football match on an artificial turf field. It was alleged that an 

argument broke out between the two groups after the match, and as the 

fight escalated, some people were locked in a room in the cafeteria next 

to the football field.

According to allegations, Birol Demirdelen, the CHP mayor of Yazıhüyük, 

who arrived at the scene, instructed the municipal police to open the door 

and then beat the visiting players inside with a stick (!). It was reported 

that one of the victims received first aid from the Gendarmerie and was 

taken to the hospital, after which an ambulance was also called to the 

scene.

Recipient of Mayor's hospitality.

Yasin Şahin, describing what happened, said, "Last Friday, we went to 

Yazıhöyük town for a football match. The Mayor of Yazıhöyük, having 

planned and orchestrated it beforehand, assaulted us. My brother's ribs 

and nose were broken. My nose, cheekbone, and fingers were also 

broken. I have bruises in many parts of my body."

Şahin, who claimed that the mayor locked them in the changing room, 

said, "He brought in a group of about 50-60 people and gave instructions 

to 'kill them, don't let them out alive.' If the Gendarmerie teams hadn't 

arrived at the scene, they would have killed us there."

"Peacemaker" Mayor alleges smear campaign against him!

Birol Demirdelen, the mayor of Yazıhöyük, also issued a written 

statement on his social media accounts, claiming that he was being 

subjected to a smear campaign. Demirdelen stated, "I went there to 

de-escalate the situation. As I was entering, a large group forced their 

way in behind me. I took a stick from someone in the crowd who was

 holding one. I do not accept being accused based on the images 

presented to the public. All my efforts and struggles were aimed at 

preventing the incident from escalating."

"Repatriate & Release": Purloined Ancient Statues and Artifacts Returned to Turkey from USA

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 10 December 2025)

  

                Head wondering "where's the rest of me?!"

According to a statement from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 

the process of returning the bronze emperor statue and terracotta 

tablets stolen from the ancient city of Boubon in Burdur to Türkiye 

has been completed. The bronze statue is among the most important 

achievements in recent years in Türkiye's international struggle for 

its cultural heritage. 

The return of the Boubon emperor statue progressed through an 

investigation conducted by prosecutors and security forces in the 

United States. The arrest warrant issued against Aaron Mendelsohn, 

the collector who purchased the statue, played a critical role in its 

return to Türkiye. Throughout the process, the Ministry worked in 

coordination with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security and completed all necessary 

procedures for the statue's delivery.

GQ had made a bid too.

The Ministry finalized the return of the bronze emperor statue and 

the marble column capital depicting the Archangel Michael from 

the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Investigations into the origins 

revealed that the artifacts were illegally removed from the Peribleptos 

Monastery of the Virgin Mary in Samatya, Istanbul. In the same 

context, 28 artifacts, whose legal processes had been completed 

earlier, were received from US authorities by Deputy Minister 

Gökhan Yazgı. These artifacts include pieces of Boubon origin, 

archaic terracotta tablets of Düver origin, and a marble head of 

Demosthenes from the Roman period.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, in a social 

media post regarding the repatriation process, stated: "The lost 

emperor of Boubon is returning to our country. We secured the 

return of the bronze emperor statue, which was stolen from the 

ancient city of Boubon in Burdur, through international cooperation 

and a determined legal process. This process is one of the best 

indicators of the effective struggle we are waging worldwide in 

pursuit of our cultural heritage and of international cooperation. 

Collector Mendelsohn used his "get out ot jail free" card.

An American collector who illegally purchased the statue would 

have been arrested by a US court if he had not accepted its return. 

By agreeing to return the emperor statue to our country, he avoided 

going to prison. This situation is an important result of our 

determination in the fight against cultural property smuggling 

and the acceptance of our righteousness by other countries' 

authorities through signed agreements. Along with the emperor 

statue, the marble head of a Demosthenes statue and terracotta 

tablets originating from Düver will also be returned to our country."

"Park & Release": Gunfight Over Parking Spot Leaves One Dead, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 9 December 2025)

               Had there been a sign...

In Istanbul's Zeytinburnu district last Friday, Sedat Arıkan and Nadir

K. got into an argument over a parking spot.  The argument became a

fight, prompting local shopkeepers to intervene and quell the dispute.

However (!), yesterday at 1530 hours the tension between the two 

erupted once again and turned into a gunfight.  This time, Sedat bey's

older brother Sinan Arıkan  and Nadir bey's relative İbrahim K. joined

the fray.  Nadir bey pulled a gun from his waist and fired on the two

Arıkan brothers, sending them both to the hospital, where, despite all 

efforts, Sedat bey expired.  The two K's were taken into custody by

police. 

This means war!

"Revenge & Release": Policeman Hit by Car Driven by His Wife's Ex-Husband, Who Bragged on Social Media, in Söke

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 8 December 2025)

Yet another self-incriminating social media blunder.

Anıl Ateş, who injured police officer Ali Korkmaz by hitting him with 

his car in the Söke district of Aydın and shared the footage of the 

accident on his social media account with the note "Traffic accident, 

unfortunately the police officer was injured," (!) was taken into custody.

The incident occurred in the morning hours on Yüksel Yalova Street 

in the Yenicami neighborhood. Police officer Ali Korkmaz, in uniform, 

was injured when he was struck by a car driven by Anıl Ateş while 

unloading items from the trunk of his car. Police and paramedics were 

dispatched to the scene. The injured officer was taken by ambulance to 

Söke Fehime Faik Kocagöz State Hospital. Korkmaz's condition is 

reported to be non-life-threatening.

The moment of the accident was captured on a security camera from a 

nearby business. The footage shows the moment the car struck the 

officer as he was unloading items from the trunk. It also shows 

driver Ateş briefly dragging the officer, who fell onto the hood after the 

impact, before stopping to take a photo of Korkmaz, who was still 

on the hood.

Vengeful photograher captured in the act by another camera.

It was learned that driver Ateş shared the photo on social media 

with the caption, "Traffic accident, unfortunately, a police officer 

was injured." Following the photo post, legal proceedings were 

initiated  against Ateş., who was taken into custody.

Meanwhile, it has been learned that police officer Ali Korkmaz is 

married to the ex-wife of Ateş (!), the man responsible for the 

accident.  An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

"Bamboozle & Release": Foreign Women Chosen as "Brides" Made Off With Wedding Gold, in Denizli

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 7 December 2025)

                Catalogue shopping for your soulmate (!).

In Denizli province's Çivril district, a Gendarmerie investigating team

(JASAT) opened an inquiry into reports that local men were being 

duped into marriages with foreign women.  The men chose the women

from a catalogue (!) and the caper's middle men took between $5,000-

$10,000 from the men as their fee. 

However (!), following the "marriages", the foreign women absconded

with the gold and money showered on them at the ceremony.  As a

result, JASAT teams conducted simultaneous raids in Denizli and Sinop

and took 5 suspects into custody.  All of them, though, were released

on the condition of judicial supervision. 

Hoodwinkers on parade...but soon after, free to make more 

couples happy. 

Unlikely site for arranged marital bliss...