"The Finger" Fingers Pakistanis for Deportation, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 13 June 2022)

            His defense: "I was just revealing my IQ."

Four foreigners gave "the finger" as they passed by a parked police car

in Istanbul and then shared the video on TikTok.  This prompted the 

police to determine that the four took the video in the Başakşehir

district of the city. 

A police raid was then conducted on the address where the Pakistanis

were staying and K.M., M.S., A.Z. and B.A. were taken into custody

and handed over to Turkish immigration officials for deportation.  In

recent days, other Pakistanis have given "the finger" in front of police

cars and they, too, were caught and deported. 

    Another of the suspects was doubly bold about his IQ. 

"Shock Therapy" Family-style, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet  Newspaper, 12 June 2022)

                        Unsuspecting outpatient.

The morning before last a remarkable incident occurred.  When her

doctor said "she needs a shock to get her over her illness", her relatives

made a plan to fire blanks at her in order to shake her up and restore 

her memory. (!) 

An individual hiding behind a minibus in Esenyurt, Istanbul, fired a

blank at two women passing by in the street and then fled.  Fortunately,

the women were not injured but someone captured the scene on a 

cellphone camera.  Subsequently, a local store's camera showed the 

women continuing on with their walk after the shooting.  

Of course, the footage went on social media, prompting police to take

action.  The shooter was identified by police and taken into custody. 

The suspect's female relatives came to the police station with him

and explained to police regarding another female relative that "she lost

her memory because of an accident.  To restore it the doctor said 'she 

has to experience a shock'.  So we made this plan to shock her."  The

shooter is one of her relatives.  No one involved filed a complaint. 

                    "Dr. Shock" zeroes in on the patient. 

"Beat & Release": Women's 'Beer Garden' Party Ends With Neighbors' Attack, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 10 June 2022)

                            "Cheers!", followed by jeers. 

Scenes of six women being beaten by their neighbors as they drank

beer in the garden of their apartment complex have sparked outrage on

social media.  Bad feelings between the women and their attackers

dated back to a dispute involving their children. 

The incident occurred on 7 June at about nine-thirty at night in the

apartment garden located on Enverpaşa Avenue in Esenyurt, Istanbul.  

The six women were drinking beer and chatting at a picnic table when

the members of another family, sitting opposite, came and the two

parties exchanged curses.  This was followed by physical attacks by

Z.A., C.A. and E.A on the women.   Both sides filed police complaints

and, based on video evidence, Z.A. and C.A. were arrested, while E.A.

was freed on judicial supervision. 

"Beat & Release": 'Peeping Tom' Eyes Woman in Shower, Husband Beats Him Up

türkçe links to original Turkish article and must-see

video.

(B Gazete website, 8 June 2022)

                          "You gambled and you lost."

In Maltepe, Istanbul, a peeper watching a woman take a shower through

a basement-floor window was caught by the woman's husband and beaten. 

The peeper tried to gain the enraged husband's forgiveness by kissing his 

hand and wailing "Really, I didn't know what I was doing, I swear. 

Please don't call the police!"

The incident happened in the morning the other day in Maltepe.  The 

woman was taking a shower in the basement apartment of the building 

when the peeper forced open the bathroom window to watch her.  She 

became aware of the surveillance and alerted her husband, who chased down

the peeper and began to beat him.  The police came and took the peeper into

custody. 

"American Dream" Formula: Mix Persistence with Truck Driving

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 7 June 2022)

Turkish Heartthrob as USA Trucker click here for

the story of a Turkish actor turned USA trucker.

                The American Dream, with icing on top.

Can Harmanşah of Niğde began to work as a gardener after finishing 

high school and then went to Eskişehir Anadolu University to study

management.  However, campus life was foreign to Harmanşah who 

noted that "it was a jarring step for me to go from the place I grew up to

a big university city."  Finally, his girlfriend said to him "you have 

no dreams!" and left him.  

Now, though, Harmanşah is living a version of the "American Dream".

He explained that "I couldn't get along in the university setting.  I didn't 

get their jokes or have any fun with them.  I felt that because of my 

Anatolian accent I was looked down upon.  But my older sister enrolled 

me in an English course and I decided to get into the "Work And Travel" 

program for young people to work in America.  I was rejected four times 

but finally I got a job in a restaurant.  I had to ride my bike for two and a 

half hours to get to work and I lost 12 kilograms.  Again, my personality 

and my clothes didn't serve me well, so my first "Work And Travel" 

attempt ended badly."

"My dad sold his car so I could go to Spain for an exchange program in

2014 and I began to come out of my shell.  When I returned to Turkey

I set out for America again and this time I worked as an organizer and

got a master's degree at Virginia Strayer University.  In 2016, I started

a company to meet and greet people coming to America at the airport. 

I used the profits to pay off my tuition of $20,000 and decided to settle

in America."

"The COVID pandemic of 2020 brought everything to a halt and I went

bankrupt.  But I took a truck driving course, got a license and started 

working for a trucking company in Ohio.  I noticed that the number of

people interested in truck driving jobs was increasing, so with some 

friends I started a course that will begin this month.  There are 5 

instructors and 32 students in the nearly 5-week course and the tuition

is $4-$5,000.  Before February you didn't have to take a course to be a

driver but there were a lot of accidents.  The law has now changed."

 

 

"Marilyn Monroe": Rare Footage of Star Being Slapped, in Mardin

türkçe links to original Turkish article and must-see

video

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 1 June 2022)

Mardin Marilyn see also this TNT report from 2018.

                    Attacked by a "misfit".

Melek Karahan, known in Mardin for her resemblance to American

movie star Marilyn Monroe, was slapped by horse owner Ş.E. in her

store because Melek hanım had posted a message on social media

criticizing those who let tourists ride horses, causing harm to the 

animals.  

The store security camera captured the confrontation, about which 

Melek hanım said "there are some youths who earn money by letting 

tourists ride horses, but they ought not to because the steps are broken 

and the horse can slip and fall.  I had no idea I would be attacked for

saying this. I don't know what I'll do now."

NOTE: Mardin city sits on a steep slope with stairs going up and 

down. 

Letting tourists ride horses has been banned by the Mardin municipality

but the trade continues nevertheless.  Melek hanım added that "they 

shouldn't let tourists ride the horses - just let them mount and dismount

and earn money from that.  The municipal police told me to take a video

of the horses being ridden so I did and then I posted the video on social

media."

                          A horse lover from way back.

"Beat & Release": Failed 'Black Widow' Pressed on With Other Scams

türkçe  links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 3 June 2022)

If at first you don't succeed, scam, scam again. 

Aslı Ceylan Aydoğdu (42)  and Fatih Ataman (48), who passed 

themselves off as "advisor to the President", "doctor", "lawyer", 

"public prosecutor" and "military officer" to bilk more than 30 

people out of 3 million TL (about $182,000), have been arrested 

in Adana. 

A few years ago in Izmir, Ceylan hanım, posing as a doctor, met 

businessman Abdülkadir D. and tried to poison him to get hold of his

$11 million fortune (!).  When Ceylan hanım and Abdülkadir D. were 

planning to marry, she gradually increased the dosage of his medicine,

putting Abdülkadir D. in a coma, which he somehow survived.  His

family filed a complaint about Ceylan hanım who was taken into custody

and charged with attempted murder.  However, she was not jailed and 

(evidently) found a way to carry on with her "pursuits". 

Adana police put physical and technical surveillance on Ceylan hanım,

who is a former pharmaceutical representative (!), and her boyfriend

Ataman, along with Mehmet K., Soner T. and Yunus A.   Ceylan hanım

targetted individuals charged with crimes related to FETÖ (Fethullah

Gülen Terror Organization), promising them pardons, given her 

position as "advisor to the President", in return for money.  As for 

Ataman, he told his targets that he was a former anti-terror Gendarmerie 

(JİTEM) colonel.  

The suspects would rent luxury homes in various provinces and attract 

businessmen, doctors and lawyers into their circle, only to bamboozle 

them out of their money by saying that Ceylan hanım was, this time, 

responsible for finances at the Presidential palace in Ankara.  In this way, 

she got large amounts of money from her dupes to invest in the financial

market, ultimately telling them that the deals didn't work out - and 

then the gang would pocket the money. 

Ceylan hanım, who barely made it out of high school, claimed to have

medical and law degrees, impressing her targets with her clothes outfits

and good diction, the result of a diction course.  Once the gang "earned"

enough money in one province, they would go to another.  Finally, at 

dawn on 27 May, police raided a number of addresses and took the 

suspects into custody, finding a plethora of legal documents and digital

material in the homes. 

                   Abdülkadir D. is the one on the right.