Erhan Karaal , deputy general manager of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Kültür A.Ş., the municipality's cultural affairs subsidiary, was found by police this morning after being kidnapped by unidentified individuals near his home in the Maltepe district on Jun 17.
Police found Karaal tied by his hands and feet inside an abandoned factory building in the Tuzla district.
Karaal, who is a defendant in the ongoing İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality corruption trial involving 414 defendants, was abducted at around 9 pm while preparing to get into his car. His lawyer, Tayfun Taşlıoğlu, said that individuals got out of a vehicle, beat Karaal while he was walking with his children, and kidnapped him.
The assailants reportedly struck the municipal official on his head, placed a black sack over his face, and forced him into a car. Investigations revealed that the license plate of the vehicle used in the abduction was cloned from a neighbor's car.
Eight suspects detained
The Kartal Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced today that eight suspects have been detained in connection with the incident.
One of the suspects, identified as İ.A., was apprehended at the scene with a weapon. Security sources quoted by the ANKA news agency said İ.A., who was reportedly bringing food to Karaal, was born in 1999 and has 22 separate criminal records, including looting and intentional injury.
Lawyer Taşlıoğlu reported that Karaal had been severely beaten but does not face life-threatening injuries. He was initially taken to Tuzla State Hospital and later transferred to another nearby hospital.
Before Karaal was located, the last signal from his phone was tracked to the Kartal district. His wife, Ayşe Karaal, stated that the family did not have any enemies or any outstanding financial disputes. (VK)
Read the full article at Bianet →📄Source document: Kartal Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office
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BianetIndependentCenter2 days agoErhan Karaal, a deputy general manager of İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Kültür A.Ş., was kidnapped near his home on June 17 and found two days later by police in an abandoned factory in the Tuzla district. He is a defendant in an ongoing corruption trial involving 414 people. According to his lawyer, Karaal was attacked by individuals who took him against his will. The kidnappers used a cloned license plate from a neighbor's car. Eight suspects were detained, including one individual identified as İ.A., who had multiple criminal records and was reportedly involved in providing food to the
Bias read (Center): The article reports on a kidnapping incident involving a municipal official linked to a high-profile corruption trial. It provides details from police, the prosecutor's office, and the victim's lawyer without apparent ideological framing. No overtly biased language or selective sourcing is evident.
Official sources cited
- government Kartal Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office
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