Critical development in the Gülistan Doku investigation: Inspector reports completed

New developments have occurred in the case of Munzur University student Gülistan Doku, who went missing in January 2020, following recent progress in the investigation.

Reports prepared by inspectors from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Health have been submitted to the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

TWO MINISTRIES APPOINTED INSPECTORS

The work of the chief civil inspectors and police chief inspectors appointed by the Ministry of Interior to investigate whether there was any negligence by police and governorate personnel—whose names were mentioned in statements and records during the tenure of Tuncay Sonel, who is currently in custody in connection with the investigation—has been completed.

Furthermore, it was stated that the work of the inspectors appointed by the Ministry of Health regarding the records identified as having been deleted at Tunceli State Hospital, which Gülistan Doku visited before she went missing, has also been completed. It was learned that the files and reports prepared following the work completed by the Ministry of Interior inspectors have been sent to the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE INVESTIGATION?

In the file, which has shifted from a missing person case to a 'murder' investigation, operations were conducted on April 14, 17, and 24 on suspicion of murder. 17 suspects were detained. A red notice has been issued for Umut Altaş, a suspect in the file who is located in the USA.

12 SUSPECTS, INCLUDING THE FORMER GOVERNOR AND HIS SON, ARRESTED

Among the suspects referred to the courthouse after their procedures at the gendarmerie, Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of Tuncay Sonel, and Erdoğan Elaldı, who was an employee of the Provincial Special Administration at the time and was determined to have had the last contact with Gülistan Doku through narrowed base station analysis, were arrested for the crime of 'Intentional killing'.

Gülistan Doku's former boyfriend Zeinal Abarakov, Abarakov's father Engin Yücer and mother Cemile Yücer, the father of fugitive suspect Umut Altaş, Celal Altaş, and his mother Nurşen Arıkan, dismissed police officer Gökhan Ertok, and Şükrü Eroğlu, who was Tuncay Sonel's close bodyguard at the time, were arrested for the crime of 'Concealing and destroying evidence of a crime'. Ferhat Güven was arrested and sent to prison for the crime of 'Robbery' due to his actions against Gülistan Doku's sister, Aygül Doku. Çağdaş Özdemir, the then-Chief Physician of Tunceli State Hospital, who was detained in Bursa on allegations of deleting Gülistan Doku's hospital records and brought to the Tunceli Courthouse, was also arrested for the crimes of 'Damaging, destroying, or concealing an official document'. Tuncay Sonel was arrested for the crimes of 'Destroying, concealing, or altering evidence of a crime', 'Preventing, damaging, destroying, or altering data in an information system, and unlawfully providing or obtaining personal data', and 'Damaging, destroying, or concealing an official document'.

Suspect U.A. and S.G. and S.Ö., who were responsible for the cameras at Munzur University, were released under judicial control. Tunceli State Hospital IT staff Burçin Y. and Yücel E., who were detained on charges of 'Destroying and concealing evidence' due to the allegation that hospital records were deleted, were released under judicial control conditions.