"Beat & Release": A Photo Album of Istanbul's "Most Wanted" Criminals From the 1920s

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 7 August 2024)

       Some pretty tough-looking guys and gals back then. 

An album with photographs of criminals "Wanted" by the Istanbul police 

in the 1920s has been found.  The photos are those of the most vicious

criminals of those days, with their names written below in Ottoman 

script, along with the file number related to their crime. 

Back then, there were no GBT (drugs and alcohol tests), fingerprints or 

DNA tests, so photographs were the best way to nab a suspect.  One of

the albums was found in a "sahaf" (old bookshop).   These "Wanted"

albums continued to be used by Istanbul police in the Republican 

period.  Some of the men in the album resemble Thomas Shelby from 

the BBC series "Peaky Blinders", while the women look like the

village girl Ünzile and Greek women. 

In the Wild West, a bad guy got his own poster, without having to

share the "spotlight" in an album. 

"Beat & Release": Lawyer Dropped Call Girl From 4th Floor... and Turned Up the Music, in Kadıköy

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 6 August 2024)

    

 The danger of escorting a lawyer, as if more proof was needed. 

On 13 August 2023 in Kadıköy, Istanbul, lawyer Doğan Can Gündüz (42) 

sent this message to his friend Kadir K.M.: "hey pal, send me the phone

number of an escort."  In response, Kadir K.M. sent him the number of

Fatma Duygu Özkan (38).  On 14 August 2023, Fatma hanım went to 

Gündüz's home, where he lived alone.  Subsequently (!), Gündüz held

Fatma hanım by the legs from his 4th floor balcony and let go.  She fell

to her death and Gündüz was arrested. 

In his statement to police Gündüz "explained" that "she wanted the drugs

on the table and we used them together. Since I don't remember what

happened I can't say anything about it."  Mehmet Ç., a passer-by who

witnessed the incident, stated that "we were walking along and heard

a man's and woman's screams coming from the 4th floor.  When we 

looked up we saw the man holding the woman by the legs and then 

dropping her to the ground.  Then the man laughed, went inside and 

turned up the music." (!)

Gündüz was convicted of the murder and jailed. However (!), on 3 May

2024 he killed himself inside the Maltepe No.1 L-type Prison. 

...and lonesome lawyers. 

"Beat & Release": Supposed Massage Parlor Gets "Bypass Operation" , in Diyarbakır

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 5 August 2024)

                             Massages with benefits.

Police in Diyarbakır got a tip that a business ostensibly offering "beauty,

physiotherapy and massages" was, in fact, operating as a house of ill

repute (!).  After two months of technical surveillance, police learned

from phone conversations that prostitution was being arranged by coded

dialogues.  

Police then launched "Operation Bypass"(!)  and took 10 suspects into

custody.  Bank accounts were also examined, leading police to charge six

of  the suspects with money laundering.  In all 10.7 million TL (about

$321,000) worth of conveyable items and real estate were seized.  Seven

of the suspects were charged with "enabling prostitution" and jailed,

while the other three were released on judicial supervision. 

Hmmmm....no translation required.

"Beat & Release": Girls' Night Out Ends Badly at Overpriced Fancy Nightclub, in Beyoğlu

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 4 August 2024)

       "I know all the policemen. They won't touch me..."

In Beyoğlu, Istanbul, 3 university students named Y.T., İ.K. and H.E., 

went to the fancy "Divane" nightclub to enjoy a night out.  However,

the fellows at the table next to theirs made inappropriate remarks to

the three ladies, who then wanted to change their spot.  But Mehmet

Mesut D., the club manager, told them that "these fellows are my 

special guests. They've taken a liking to you and want to send some

champagne to your table."  

Nevertheless, the three ladies insisted on changing their table, but

when their request was denied they asked for the check, which should

have been 475 TL (about $14) but turned out to be 10,000 TL (about

$300) (!).  Mehmet Mesut D. proposed this solution: "let's put your

two tables together and the fellows will pay the bill."  Again, the 3

ladies objected, paid 9,000 TL (!) and leaving "Divane". 

        Girls' night out. Ouch.

However, İ.K. had forgotten her phone charger at the nightclub so 

they had to go back for it.  As they waited at the door, club owner

Veysi T. sidled up to them and said "Sit with the fellows.  In any 

case, you paid less than you should have.  I won't let you leave."

The 3 ladies objected to being taken hostage, of course, but were 

manhandled.  Y.T. wanted to call the police but Mehmet Mesut D.

grabbed her phone and said "we know all the policemen, no one can

do anything to us. You're staying here."

Mehmet Mesut D. grabbed Y.T.'s hair and kneed her in the head, 

throwing İ.K. to the floor and kicking her, for good measure.  A

citizen intervened to separate them, but when Y.T. vowed to file a

complaint with the police Mehmet Mesut D. again said "Go file a

complaint. I know all the policemen. Nothing will happen to me,

but I'll kill you.  I'll shoot you in the legs to bring you to your

senses." 

Frightened and doubtful that any evidence could be found to back

up her complaint, Y.T. abandoned that idea.  However (!), after a

video of the incident was posted on social media on 31 July, Y.T.

went to the police station and used the video as evidence for her

complaint. 

Consequently, on 2 August Mehmet Mesut D. and Veysi T. were taken

into custody.  During their interrogations, both of them denied all the

charges.  Nevertheless, they were charged with "intentional wounding"

and "sexual harassment" and were both jailed.  "Divane" was closed

and sealed shut by Beyoğlu authorities. 

 

"Beat & Release": Sharon Stone Gets a "Twofer" - a Black Eye and the "Global Icon Award", in Bodrum

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 3 August 2024)

     Bad luck! Her make-up artist left back in Hollywood. 

Hollywood star Sharon Stone suffered an unfortunate accident in her

hotel room in Bodrum - her head hit a piece of marble and blackened her

left eye.  Sharon hanım explained that "I got up during the night to use

the loo and stumbled into a piece of marble. No, no one did anything to

me, it was just an accident. My eye is getting better. You should see 

what happened to the marble! (heh, heh).  I'm having a lovely vacation."

Sharon hanım was a guest on the yacht of Barbaros Tapan, a writer for

Hürriyet's Kelebek celebrity supplement and a member of the board of

directors of the "Altın Küre" (Turkey's Golden Globe awards).  Her son

Laird Stone and her entourage accompanied her on the yacht trip.  Sharon

hanım received the "Global Icon Award" at this year's "Altın Küre"

event held last night in Bodrum. 

Legs were crossed but uncrossed upon hearing the call to prayer.

Relaxing on the yacht with her legs crossed, Sharon hanım straightened

out when she heard the Moslem call to prayer coming from a nearby 

mosque.  She listened silently and then said "it gives me peace."  Sharon 

dined on "lahmacun" and kebap on the yacht, drank tea and played

backgammon. 

"Beat & Release": Drastic Weight Loss Prompts DNA Test to Prove It's Really Him, in Adana

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 1 August 2024)

     Then and now...only his DNA tester knows for sure. 

In Adana, a young man working as a make-up artist went from weighing

146 kilograms (321 pounds) to 72 kilograms (158 pounds).  Together with 

a number of esthetic operations he became a whole new person.  

However (!), when he wanted to renew his passport he could not make 

the authorities believe that it was really him, so he had to have a DNA 

test conducted at a police station. 

Çağlar Kumlutaş (25) was experiencing sleep apnea when his weight 

was 146 kilograms so he had an operation to reduce the size of his 

stomach thanks to Dr. Cihan Gökler.  After losing 74 kilograms

he underwent a series of esthetic operations to change his appearance

drastically.   But this prompted the need for him to take a DNA test so

he could get a new ID card and a new passport (!). 

Kumlutaş explained that old and new photographs of a person must

show at least 20% similarity but his only showed 3% (!). Consequently,

the DNA test successfully proved it was him and, together with 

testimony from his family members, Kumlutaş was able to get his new

documents. 

Jenny couldn't compete with Çağlar...

"Beat & Release": Afghan in Turkey Tried for $5 Million "Hawala" Fraud but Acquitted for Lack of Evidence (!)

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 1 August 2024)

High finance in the market. They don't even have to wear ties.

The Turkish Central Bank filed a criminal complaint against Afghan

citizen M.M.N. (35) for engaging in "hawala" (illegally collecting money

and sending it abroad via prohibited avenues).  As a result of the complaint,

M.M.N. was charged with violating the anti-terror law, with a requested

sentence of 10 years in jail, and with "acting contrary to banking laws",

which stipulates a sentence of up to three years. 

However (!), M.M.N. claimed that all the money in his account was his

own, coming from land he sold in Afghanistan.  Over 5 months there 

were 647 transactions noted in his bank account, with 1,629,839 TL

(about $49,000) entering from a number of different individuals.  In

his dollar account there were 26 transactions involving 18 different 

people for a total transfer amount of $226,747.  In total, there were 

82 different transactions in M.M.N.'s account involving mostly 

foreigners and amounting to 173,296,000 TL ($5.25 million).

Nevertheless, an Ankara court acquitted M.M.N. of the charges,

citing a lack of evidence (!).  The Treasury and Finance Ministry

has appealed the verdict. 

Just add "Hawala"-brand detergent...