He said 'If I get caught they will kill me' and committed a snatch-theft

They say there is no lock for a thief... If a thief wants to get in, no wall or door can stop them. This burglary, which supports this saying, took place in a mansion in Sarıyer on January 10, 2005. Two thieves entered this mansion, which had police guarding the door 24 hours a day and was under constant surveillance by security cameras, by boat from the sea. After this exclusive report I wrote while working at Sabah newspaper, the robbery became a major topic of discussion. So, who did this robbed mansion belong to? How many days later were the thieves caught and how? How did the Istanbul police catch the two thieves who reminded us of the saying that there is no lock for a thief?

A mansion in Sarıyer Yeniköy, which had police guarding the front 24 hours a day and security cameras in every corner, was robbed by two thieves in the early hours of January 10, 2005. The two thieves, who entered the mansion from the sea by boat through the backyard, robbed the home of former Prime Minister Tansu Çiller. Moreover, Tansu Çiller and her husband Özer Çiller were at home when the robbery took place. The two thieves entered the Çiller family's bedroom, took jewelry including a Bvlgari watch, a necklace, diamond rings, earrings, and more, and escaped the same way by sea.

When the Çiller couple woke up in the morning and realized the robbery, they called the police. Almost all units affiliated with the Istanbul Police Department were sent to the scene. I was working as a reporter at Sabah newspaper. When a police officer who called my phone told me about the incident, I was surprised and had difficulty believing it. Because the robbery he mentioned was at a mansion where a prime minister stayed. It was normal for me not to believe it. But I still went to the newspaper building in Balmumcu, met with my friend Mustafa Kaya, who was a regional reporter, and we went to the location of Çiller's mansion. At that time, I didn't even tell Mustafa where we were going. When we arrived in front of the mansion, there were many police officers at the front door. I went into a kiosk across the street and asked what was happening. He said, 'I think there was a robbery. I know because the police who came here were talking on their phones.' That was the moment I confirmed the robbery and realized that what the police officer said was true. I returned to the vehicle and told Mustafa to film the mansion. He filmed the mansion from inside the vehicle. Then I went to the meeting place with the police officer who had called me. After getting all the information, we went to the newspaper and wrote the story. A day later, the story was on the front page. After the story was published in the newspaper, there was a flurry of activity both in the police department and in the media. The Prime Minister's house had been robbed. It suddenly became the main agenda.

This story had made an impact on the police and the media. It had become the talk of the town. And someone who read that story was gripped by panic. This was the thief who robbed the house, Yavuz Kutluay. Thief Yavuz Kutluay, who saw that the mansion he robbed belonged to former Prime Minister Tansu Çiller, committed a snatch-theft on Barbaros Boulevard in Beşiktaş and then reported himself by calling the police on his mobile phone. Kutluay, who admitted to the snatch-theft during his interrogation, was arrested and sent to prison. There was only one reason he did this. Because the newspaper he read had reported on the mansion he robbed. And the owner was former Prime Minister Tansu Çiller.

Following this robbery, the Istanbul Police Department teams worked with all their units. When one of the stolen phones signaled in Bursa, this person was taken into custody. This was the only piece of evidence. Because the investigation at the house did not yield any fingerprints belonging to the 2 thieves. Both of them had applied glue to their fingers so that no fingerprints would be left. The person who bought the phone was taken into custody. He said he bought the phone from Yavuz Kutluay, who was in Istanbul. Despite all searches, the police could not find Kutluay.

The other thief, Gökmen Yeryaran, was taken into custody a few days after the robbery. He was arrested by the court he was brought before. While the police continued their search for Kutluay, they determined that he was in Bayrampaşa Prison. Yavuz Kutluay, who was arrested for the crime of snatch-theft, confessed to the mansion robbery. Kutluay had said, "The house I entered for the robbery belonged to Prime Minister Tansu Çiller. When I read the news in the newspaper, I committed a snatch-theft and turned myself in. Because if I get caught for the robbery, they will kill me." Thus, the two thieves who entered the mansion by boat from the sea were caught in a short time thanks to the work of the Istanbul police. This robbery reminded us of a proverb: There is no lock for a thief...