Flash development in the Gülistan Doku investigation: Former governor's bodyguard detained

A notable development has occurred in the investigation regarding Gülistan Doku, who has been missing for six years. Şükrü Eroğlu, the bodyguard of the then-Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel, has been detained in İzmir.

DETENTION WARRANTS ISSUED FOR 13 PEOPLE OVERNIGHT

In an operation conducted last night as part of the investigation, detention warrants were issued for a total of 13 suspects across 7 provinces.

It was learned that the detention list includes Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of the then-Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel. It was reported that Sonel was detained in Ataşehir, Istanbul.

The names and locations of 11 of the 13 individuals detained as part of the operation are as follows:

Zeinal Abakarov (Alanya) – Gülistan Doku’s boyfriend

Engin Yücer (Alanya) – Zeinal Abakarov’s stepfather, a former police officer

Cemile Yücer (Alanya) – Zeinal Abakarov’s mother

Uğurcan Açıkgöz (Antalya) – A close friend of Mustafa Türkay Sonel, a name appearing in camera recordings

Erdoğan Elaldı (Antalya) – An employee of the Tunceli Provincial Special Administration at the time

Mustafa Türkay Sonel (Ataşehir, Istanbul) – Son of Tuncay Sonel

Gökhan Ertok (Ankara) – A dismissed former police officer

Savaş Gültürk (Elazığ) – Camera supervisor at Munzur University

Süleyman Önal (Tunceli) – Camera supervisor at Munzur University

Celal Altaş (Tunceli)

Nurşen Arıkan (Tunceli)

WHAT HAD HAPPENED?

Gülistan Doku was a second-year student in the Child Development Department at Munzur University in Tunceli. She was last heard from after leaving her dormitory on January 5, 2020.

Her family filed a missing person report with the Provincial Police Department on January 6. Examinations of the Urban Security Management System (KGYS) cameras along her route determined that Doku had boarded a minibus, but it could not be determined where she got off.

Technical examinations determined that the last signal from the young woman's mobile phone came from the vicinity of the Sarı Saltuk Viaduct over the Uzunçayır Dam Lake. Following this, a large-scale search operation was launched in the region under the coordination of the then-Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel.

Numerous institutions, primarily AFAD, the Naval Forces Command, the General Directorate of Security, and the Gendarmerie General Command, participated in the efforts; teams from different provinces, municipalities, non-governmental organizations, and volunteers took part. A total of 542 personnel were involved in the searches, utilizing 88 vehicles, 38 boats, 10 ROV devices, 6 drones, 4 sonars, and 3 search dogs. However, as no trace of Gülistan Doku could be found despite all efforts, the searches were concluded.