Number of detainees rises to 6: Publication ban on investigation into missing baby Büşra in Sivas

The number of people detained in the investigation into 11-month-old Büşra Balıkçı, who went missing in the Divriği district of Sivas, has risen to 6. It was reported that a publication ban has been issued by the Divriği Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the incident.

The incident occurred on September 10 in the village of Göndüren, attached to Divriği. Elif Balıkçı, the daughter-in-law of a family that had come to the region temporarily for livestock farming from Diyarbakır, called the 112 Emergency Call Center and reported that she could not find her baby, Büşra, in the tent where they were staying.

Upon the report, AFAD, commando, and gendarmerie teams were dispatched to the region. The teams launched a large-scale search operation using an artificial intelligence-supported drone and a tracking dog. During the work carried out in the field, some clothes stated to belong to the baby were found approximately 2 kilometers away from the tent.

It was reported that no tears, damage, or bloodstains were found on the clothes. While the possibility that Büşra might have been taken by wild animals is being evaluated, the investigation later focused on the suspicion that the baby might have been kidnapped or given to others in exchange for money.

PROCESSING OF DETAINEES CONTINUES

Within the scope of the investigation, mother Elif Balıkçı, father Yusuf Balıkçı, and 4 other people were detained. According to the information provided, it is alleged that in her second statement to the gendarmerie, Elif Balıkçı said that the baby was given to others by her husband in exchange for money. It was stated that Yusuf Balıkçı denied the accusations and reiterated his initial statement that the baby had gone missing.

Gendarmerie teams are examining security camera footage from the day of the incident. It was reported that there was heavy vehicle traffic due to a meal program held in the village on the same day, and therefore efforts are being made to identify the vehicles that passed through the region. The 6 people in custody are expected to be referred to the Divriği Courthouse after their procedures are completed.

It was learned that the highland area where the incident took place has been cordoned off and entry and exit to the region have been prohibited. It was stated that among those detained is a veterinarian who was vaccinating animals in the highland on the day of the incident.

In a statement made by the Sivas Governor's Office, it was announced that a publication ban had been issued by the Divriği Chief Public Prosecutor's Office within the scope of the investigation into the disappearance of baby Büşra. The statement noted that an official letter had been sent by the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office to RTÜK and BTK in order to take the necessary measures in line with the decision.