Politics · Turkey · 10 hrs ago
Turkey Reopens Four Unsolved Murder Cases, Making Arrests in Four Provinces
Turkey’s Justice Minister Akın Gürlek says four old murder cases have been clarified after investigations in Konya, Kahramanmaraş, Mersin and Hatay.
The cases were reopened by prosecutors and law enforcement working with a unit that coordinates inquiries into unsolved crimes.
Investigators re-examined DNA, forensic evidence, phone records and witness statements.
In the Konya case, five suspects were jailed over the 2005 killing of Ömer Faruk Akıllı, while two others were placed under judicial supervision.
In the Kahramanmaraş case, concerning a newborn found dead in 2010, one suspect was jailed and another placed under judicial supervision.
Police also detained suspects in the Mersin and Hatay cases, involving killings from 2007 and 2006; the account gives no further custody decisions for those cases.
The renewed investigations aim to establish responsibility in long-unresolved killings, and Gürlek says the work will continue so those responsible can face justice.
Turkey’s Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said four unsolved murder cases in Konya, Kahramanmaraş, Mersin and Hatay had been reopened and investigated.
Authorities said they used DNA analysis, forensic examinations, communications records and witness statements to reassess the cases.
Operations led to arrests or detentions in all four investigations, with suspects also placed under judicial supervision or already in prison.
The cases concern deaths dating from 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010.
Gürlek said 68 case files involving 75 murders had so far been resolved through the work.
- Who
- Turkish prosecutors and law enforcement agencies investigated the cases, under the coordination of the Justice Ministry’s department for investigating unsolved crimes.
- What
- Four previously unsolved murder cases were reopened, and authorities reported arrests or detentions in each.
- When
- The murders occurred between 2005 and 2010. The announcement was published on October 30, 2026.
- Where
- Konya, Kahramanmaraş, Mersin and Hatay, Turkey.
- Why
- Authorities said they reassessed evidence to identify those responsible and establish the facts of the murders.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Ömer Faruk Akıllı was found shot dead on the Konya-Ankara highway.
İbrahim Akgöl was stabbed to death on the coast in Hatay’s Samandağ district.
Bahaddin Sefer’s body was found inside a refrigerator sealed with concrete in a Mersin home’s courtyard.
The body of a newborn baby was found in an open area in Kahramanmaraş’s Onikişubat district.
Sabah reported that authorities had reopened the four cases and carried out operations.
- Cases reopened
- 4
- Provinces
- Konya, Kahramanmaraş, Mersin and Hatay
- Konya case
- 7 suspects detained; 5 jailed and 2 placed under judicial supervision
- Kahramanmaraş case
- 2 suspects apprehended; 1 jailed and 1 placed under judicial supervision
- Mersin case
- 6 suspects detained
- Hatay case
- 11 suspects detained; 1 more was already in prison
What people are saying
We will not abandon the pursuit of murders that have left deep wounds in society, no matter how many years have passed. We will resolutely continue our efforts to establish the material truth and ensure those responsible answer before justice, following every new piece of evidence and every new lead.