Prosecutor's opinion submitted in Banu Parlak shooting case: Prison sentences requested for Polat family

The beauty center owned by social media influencer Banu Parlak, located in the Bahçeşehir 1st Section Nature Park, was shot at by suspects on motorcycles on October 1, 2023, at approximately 02:00 and 04:30.

Within the scope of the indictment prepared regarding the incident, it was requested that Dilan, Engin, and Sezgin Polat each be sentenced to between 2 years and 4 months and 8 years in prison. The indictment also requested that 8 other defendants be sentenced to varying prison terms for various crimes.

On the other hand, while the trial was ongoing, Banu Parlak withdrew her complaint against the Polat family. Following the withdrawal of the complaint, it was decided to release the Polats within the scope of this file.

In the hearing held at the Küçükçekmece 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance, some of the detained defendants were present via the SEGBİS system. While Dilan, Engin, and Sezgin Polat did not attend the hearing, their defense attorneys were present.

PROSECUTOR'S OPINION SUBMITTED

The prosecutor's opinion stated that there was hostility between defendant Dilan Polat and the complainant Banu Parlak, and that Dilan Polat had made threatening remarks toward the complainant on social media. The opinion further stated that, in line with a joint decision made by defendants Engin Polat, Dilan Polat, and Sezgin Polat due to this hostility, defendant Engin Polat contacted Beratcan Gökdemir and his brother Batın Gökdemir—fugitive leaders of the organized crime group known publicly as the "Daltonlar Gang"—via his connections in Georgia to organize an armed attack on Banu Parlak's workplace for the purpose of intimidation.

It was noted in the prosecutor's opinion that Beratcan Gökdemir gave instructions to defendant Batuhan İnci, who was waiting in a safe house belonging to the Daltonlar group ready to carry out the act, and that the defendant relayed the instructions to the other defendants. It was recorded that Yunus Emre Yıldız, Nizamettin Bilgili, and İsmail Emre Arifoğlu went to the location provided by Batuhan İnci and received 100 thousand TL in cash from an individual.

The prosecutor's opinion stated that, in line with the instructions they received, Yunus Emre Yıldız and Nizamettin Bilgili fired shots at the workplace named "Banu Parlak Beauty Salon" twice on the same day, causing damage to the business, and that the defendants then fled the scene.

The prosecutor's opinion requested that Dilan, Engin, and Sezgin Polat be sentenced to 2 to 5 years in prison for the crime of "incitement to armed threat by more than one person." Prison sentences of varying lengths were also requested for the other defendants for various crimes.

On the other hand, the prosecutor's opinion also requested a dismissal regarding the crime of "property damage," as Banu Parlak had withdrawn her complaint and that specific crime is subject to a complaint.

When given the floor, the defendants stated that they had not received the prosecutor's opinion and therefore could not present a defense.

Announcing its interim decision, the court ruled for the continuation of the detention of the imprisoned defendants. The hearing was adjourned to allow the defendants to prepare their defense against the prosecutor's opinion.

FROM THE INDICTMENT

In the indictment prepared by the Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was explained that defendant Dilan Polat had sent a threatening message to Banu Parlak in a speech during a video she posted on her social media account.

The indictment stated that shortly after this message, following a joint decision by Dilan and Engin Polat, defendant Engin Polat contacted Beratcan and Batın Can Gökdemir, fugitive leaders of the armed organized crime group known publicly as the "Daltonlar" gang, via his connections in Georgia to organize an armed attack on the complainant's workplace. The indictment noted that the Gökdemir brothers gave instructions to defendants Batuhan İnci, Yunus Emre Yıldız, Nizamettin Bilgili, Onur Abiç, and İsmail Emre Arifoğlu, who were waiting in a specially rented safe house in Istanbul ready to carry out the act. The indictment recorded that the workplace was shot at, resulting in the replacement of 4 out of 5 windows on the exterior, and that the total damage caused by the attack was 45 thousand liras.

Banu Parlak, who filed a complaint after the incident, had complained about the Polat family, whom she accused of wanting to have her killed. In her statement, Dilan Polat defended herself by claiming that the remarks in the video containing threats were not directed at Parlak, but were general comments made toward those who had verbally attacked her. Defendant Engin Polat claimed he heard about the attack on social media, arguing that Banu Parlak had made a statement on social media two days before the attack accusing them, and stated that he did not know who had committed the act.

The indictment requested that the Polat couple each be sentenced to a total of 2 years and 4 months to 8 years in prison for the crimes of "incitement to armed threat by more than one person" and "incitement to property damage."

For defendants Barış Boyun, Beratcan, and Batin Can Gökdemir, for whom arrest warrants were issued, a total of 8 years and 4 months to 23 years in prison was requested for each for the crimes of "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing armed crimes," "armed threat by more than one person," "property damage," and "carrying an unlicensed weapon."

The indictment requested that the other defendants, Batuhan İnci, İsmail Emre Arifoğlu, Nizamettin Bilgili, Onur Abiç, Yunus Emre Yıldız, and Sezgin Polat, be sentenced to between 2 years and 4 months and 23 years in prison for various crimes.