Van's 'Kara Haydar' investigation: The past between arrested Çağla Öz Tançalan and her husband resurfaces

Statements made years ago by Çağla Öz Tançalan—who was arrested as part of an investigation into "laundering of assets derived from crime"—to Fox Ana Haber regarding her now-husband, Mehmet Fatih Tançalan, nicknamed "Vanlı Kara Haydar," have resurfaced.

Old footage regarding the couple's past, who drew public attention with their lavish wedding in Van and the recent investigation conducted against them, has begun circulating on social media again. In the interview, which is stated to belong to Çağla Öz, serious allegations were made against Tançalan.

The lower banners of the old television news report included phrases such as "Held a gun to a high school girl's head and harassed her," "Raided the school of the student he harassed," and "Raided a high school girl's school, was released." It was stated that these records are linked to the legal process involving Çağla Öz and Mehmet Fatih Tançalan from approximately 10 years ago.

THEY FACED EACH OTHER IN THE SAME CASE YEARS AGO

According to information reflected in the press, Çağla Öz's mother, Nilgün Ö., applied to the Istanbul Child Branch Directorate on March 21, 2016, and filed a complaint against Mehmet F.T. The mother claimed that her daughter was under the influence of the individual in question and requested assistance.

According to court records, the process was also taken to the judiciary. In the case heard at the İstanbul Anadolu 8th High Criminal Court, Çağla Öz appeared as a "participating victim," while Mehmet Fatih Tançalan appeared as the defendant. It was reported that the events subject to the file took place in 2015, and the lawsuit was filed in 2016 following the investigation.

According to details reflected in the reasoned decision, Öz alleged at the time that Tançalan pressured her, brandished a weapon, and recorded her. Tançalan, however, denied the accusations, arguing that he and Öz were in a relationship but that he did not commit the alleged acts.

FINALIZED SENTENCE AND THE LATEST INVESTIGATION

The court did not convict Tançalan on all of Öz's allegations. The verdict was rendered based on the crime of "sexual intercourse with a minor," regulated under Article 104 of the Turkish Penal Code.

On February 14, 2018, Tançalan was initially sentenced to 3 years in prison. The sentence was increased on the grounds that the act was committed more than once at different times; it was then reduced to 3 years, 1 month, and 15 days after applying discretionary mitigation. The decision was finalized by the decision of the Istanbul Regional Court of Justice 20th Criminal Chamber dated December 8, 2020.

Çağla Öz and Mehmet Fatih Tançalan, who were involved in the same criminal case as victim and defendant years ago, married in 2026. The couple's wedding in Van, which made headlines due to the large amount of gold involved, became a subject of debate again following the investigation conducted afterward.

In the investigation conducted by the Van Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, Mehmet Fatih Tançalan was arrested on charges of "laundering assets derived from crime." Subsequently, Çağla Öz Tançalan was also detained in Istanbul and taken to Van.

Çağla Öz Tançalan was arrested on September 14 by the criminal judgeship of peace for the same crime. While M.S.T., a relative of Tançalan, was also arrested in the investigation, Çağla Öz's mother, N.O., and S.A., the owner of the house where the gold was found, were released under judicial control conditions.