Threatening messages sent to judge and his brother via foreign phone line during Daltonlar trial verdict

A striking development has occurred in the 'Daltonlar' armed criminal organization case in Istanbul. During the reading of the verdict at the hearing in Silivri, threatening messages were sent to the presiding judge and his brother via a foreign-origin phone line. The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has completed its investigation into the incident, filed an indictment against 7 suspects, and requested up to 22 years in prison.

The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office prepared an indictment against the individuals who sent threatening messages during the hearing to the presiding judge of the Istanbul 16th High Criminal Court, where the 'Daltonlar' armed criminal organization case is being heard, and to his brother. The indictment requests up to 22 years in prison for 5 suspects and up to 15 years in prison for 2 individuals.

The investigation into the threatening messages sent by individuals who were plaintiffs in the case to the presiding judge and his brother during the 'Daltonlar' armed criminal organization hearing held by the Istanbul 16th High Criminal Court at the Marmara Penal Execution Institutions Silivri Campus on December 22, 2025, has been completed. The indictment prepared by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office lists Istanbul 16th High Criminal Court President A.O.A. and his brother U.A. as 'plaintiffs.' The indictment identifies 7 individuals, including 'Daltonlar' leader Beratcan Gökdemir and his brother Batın Can Gökdemir, as 'suspects.'

THREATENING MESSAGE SENT TO JUDGE

The indictment states that while the verdict of the case heard by the Istanbul 16th High Criminal Court in courtroom number 1 in Silivri was being read, threatening messages were sent to presiding judge A.O.A. and his brother U.A. by members of the 'Daltonlar' criminal organization via a foreign-origin mobile phone line. The indictment also details the structure of the organization. It emphasizes that in the organized armed criminal group led by Barış Boyun, Bayram Demir, Bahadır Akdağ, Beratcan Gökdemir, Tolga Gültepe, and Zafer Boyun served as leaders. It further highlights that Beratcan Gökdemir was at the head of the "Daltonlar" group, and that after the murder of Gökhan Demirci, he fled to Georgia and took refuge with the Barış Boyun group.

The indictment also includes the examination of the mobile phone belonging to suspect Eren Kemal Büyükgümüş. The examination revealed messages between Büyükgümüş and fugitive 'Daltonlar' armed criminal organization member Erkan Efe, that the foreign mobile phone line used to send threats to plaintiff U.A. was opened at the request of suspect Erkan Efe, that Büyükgümüş sent the verification code received on his phone to suspect Erkan Efe, and that correspondence records and a screenshot of a video call with suspect Erkan Efe were found on Büyükgümüş's phone. The indictment states that Erkan Efe, who has an active arrest warrant, directed Eren Kemal Büyükgümüş to the foreign mobile phone line used to threaten the plaintiffs under the instructions of 'Daltonlar' armed criminal organization leaders Baran Yıkılmaz and Mustafa Aktürk, codenamed 'Gaddar.'

"THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE CALLS SAID THEY WERE DALTONLAR MEMBERS"

On the other hand, the statement of suspect Eren Kemal Büyükgümüş was also included in the indictment. Büyükgümüş stated, "I may have given the GSM lines to people who said they were from the Daltonlar and were threatening me. I would like to explain that I used to sell foreign numbers to foreign individuals at my own shop from time to time; I would get these numbers from a business arcade in Aksaray where Syrian individuals at Hikmet İletişim were located. I did not know that selling these foreign numbers was a crime. After the shooting incident at my shop that I explained above, they called me from ten different foreign lines and continued their threats; the people who made these calls said they were Daltonlar members and demanded money from me again. I refused them repeatedly. After these refusals, they called me again, this time they didn't want money but foreign GSM lines. They said that if I provided these GSM lines, they would get off my back, otherwise they would kill my mother. They even took a photo of my mother walking on the street to show the seriousness of the situation, sent this photo to me, and said this would not end. Since I was tired of these threats, I did what they wanted. I provided three different foreign GSM numbers to the three different foreign numbers that messaged me. I don't know who these people are; they said they were from the Daltonlar. I don't know if I gave a number to Erkan Efe because Erkan Efe would call me from different GSM lines. I didn't give the GSM numbers by hand; when the other party installed the application called WhatsApp on their phone, I inserted the incoming GSM verification code into any phone I had in my shop that I was selling and gave the verification code to these individuals. These numbers might be those numbers. I do not know the individuals named A.O.A. and U.A.; I heard their names from you here for the first time. The digital materials seized during the search at the address where I was caught belong to me."

"WE WILL KILL YOU TOO BECAUSE OF YOUR BROTHER" MESSAGE

The indictment also includes the police statement of the judge's brother, plaintiff U.A. In his statement, U.A. said, "I have been using the number in question for more than 15 years. I was sitting with my cousin in Ataşehir. While we were sitting, my brother, who is serving as the President of the Istanbul 16th High Criminal Court, called me and said, 'If you receive a threatening message or call, do not panic; we will try to take the necessary precautions during the judicial process; the matter has nothing to do with you,' and we hung up. After my phone conversation with my brother, my brother's protection officer called me and said, 'Mr. Umut, if you receive any calls or messages from any foreign number, do not worry, necessary precautions will be taken, do not panic,' and hung up. On December 22, 2025, around 15:04, a foreign-origin GSM number not saved in my contacts sent me a message saying, 'We will kill you too because of your brother, Umut Okatar. You will see what it is like to use the honorable and powerful force of the state on innocent people. Breaking up people's families depends on your two lips, and it depends on our two fingers. We will meet.' I sent the incoming message to my brother and the protection officer to report it. I have no information about why such a message was sent to me."

22 YEARS IN PRISON REQUESTED FOR 5 SUSPECTS, 15 YEARS FOR 2 SUSPECTS

In the prepared indictment, it was requested that suspects Batıncan Gökdemir, Beratcan Gökdemir, Bünyamin Yıkar, Murat Küçükyavuz, and Mustafa Aktürk be sentenced to 12 to 22 years in prison for the crime of 'making threats using the names of criminal organizations.' Additionally, it was requested that suspects Eren Kemal Büyükgümüş and Erkan Efe be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison for the crimes of 'making threats using the names of criminal organizations' and 'being a member of an armed organization established to commit crimes.' The trial of the defendants is expected to begin in the coming days.