Murder suspect doctor who fled courthouse missing for 12 days! Those who knew him: 'Everyone is in shock'

By: Rojda ALTINTAŞ

In 2006, they said he "fell into the river while washing a watermelon." In reality, he had been drowned in a toilet using water brought that morning from the Sakarya River.

When construction engineer Gökhan Atakan was found dead in the Sakarya River in the summer of 2006, the case was quickly closed.

The cause of death was recorded as 'drowning'. The witness was 'his wife'. The explanation: 'he lost his balance while washing a watermelon and fell into the river'. But years later, an audio recording emerged. That woman — his wife — was confessing to the murder. In detail: drowning in a toilet. The recording was full of confessions she had made to her second husband. Together with her lover, Dr. Erdal Bektaş, they had drowned Gökhan in a toilet using water they had collected that morning from the Sakarya River. They then threw the body back into the same river — this time to make it look like a drowning.

The account was corroborated by statements, witnesses, HTS records, and forensic analyses. On the day of the incident, Bektaş's phone pinged near the riverbank in the morning and again at the same location at night. He appeared to be on duty at a hospital in Istanbul, but a lab technician had taken his place. He had forged his own signature on the duty roster.

A CHAIN OF JUDICIAL ERRORS

They were arrested in 2022. But the court released them before an indictment had even been drawn up. Throughout the trial, the lawyer requested remand at every hearing — and was refused every time. The judicial supervision order was even lifted at the hearing immediately before the verdict hearing.

Every sign pointed to the court preparing to acquit. But that did not happen. At the final hearing, they were sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment. The court had notified the Tekirdağ and Erzurum prosecutors' offices in advance that the defendants were to be taken into custody after the SEGBİS session. In Tekirdağ, police were stationed at the courtroom door and Yeliz Atakan was arrested.

But in Erzurum, things went differently. A police officer left the room "for another duty." The SEGBİS room was left unattended. Dr. Erdal Bektaş fled the courthouse the moment his sentence was read out. The escape was detected at 17:05. A warrant for his arrest was issued the same day.

Before his escape, Bektaş had been working as a physician in Erzurum. He had previously been based in Yalova, where he wrote project proposals for the municipality and was active in local politics. He had even put himself forward as a mayoral candidate for the AK Party.

Those who knew Dr. Bektaş but wished to remain anonymous had this to say:

"It was as if he was starting his life over. He was a well-liked doctor — we never suspected a thing."

"He had come to Erzurum as a doctor from Yalova. Everyone is in complete shock."

The family's lawyer, meanwhile, said:

"The defendants were released before the case had even been converted into an indictment. I requested remand at every hearing throughout the trial, but was refused every time. The judicial supervision order was even lifted one hearing before the verdict hearing."

A STRANGE ATTACK 11 YEARS AGO

In 2014, while still working as a doctor in Yalova, he had travelled to Tunceli. He visited a friend in the Pertek district, then set off for Erzincan.

On the road — on the Pertek-Tunceli highway — three armed individuals blocked his path. He was pulled out of his SUV. He was beaten with a rifle butt. Petrol was poured over his SUV and the vehicle was set on fire.

Following the incident, Bektaş was treated as an outpatient at Pertek State Hospital.