New finding in the disappearance of Gülistan Doku: Chief physician's route becomes a critical detail in the investigation

With the appointment of Ebru Cansu, one of Turkey's three female chief public prosecutors, to Tunceli following the June 2024 decree of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors, the Gülistan Doku file has been reopened. Under Chief Prosecutor Cansu's instructions, a special team was formed with the support of the Gendarmerie Crime Investigation Teams (JASAT) to examine the investigation from start to finish.

All City Security Management System (KGYS) camera footage and License Plate Recognition System (PTS) records from the city for the day Gülistan Doku went missing and the day before were collected. A total of 700 hours of new camera footage from 70 locations, not just main streets, were evaluated in the file.

OPERATIONS EXPANDED TOWARD MURDER INVESTIGATION

As the investigation focused on the possibility of murder, various operations were carried out as a result of HTS and PTS analyses conducted on suspects. While 17 people were detained in three separate raids in April, two people, including Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of the governor at the time, and Erdoğan Elaldı, who worked at the Provincial Special Administration at the time, were arrested on charges of "intentional killing."

Gülistan Doku's former boyfriend Zeinal Abarakov, his family, and several other individuals were sent to prison for "concealing and destroying evidence of a crime." Additionally, a red notice was issued for Umut Altaş, who is a fugitive in the case and is currently in the USA.

CHIEF PHYSICIAN'S MOVEMENTS UNDER INVESTIGATION LENS

One of the most prominent new developments in the investigation process was the determination through PTS records that the then-Chief Physician of Tunceli State Hospital, Çağdaş Özdemir, passed through the area where Gülistan Doku was last seen with his vehicle on the day she went missing. The family's lawyer, Ali Çimen, emphasized that this finding is of vital importance to the case.

Lawyer Çimen stated, "There has been a new development within the scope of this investigation. With the determination of the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was established that the then-chief physician of the state hospital, Çağdaş Özdemir, who is currently under arrest, passed through the area where Gülistan was last seen with his vehicle. This finding is important for our file. As you know, Gülistan Doku had been subjected to violence because she resisted an act of sexual assault against her.

After this violence, she wanted to apply to the state hospital and have this violence documented. As you know, the state hospital had notified the police. There was a POLNET record for the police, and according to Gülistan's statement there, when she made a statement regarding the son of the chief suspect Tuncay Sonel, they covered up that statement there. The biggest duty in this cover-up incident belonged to this chief physician, Çağdaş Özdemir. It is said that this incident took place on December 31, 2020.

The last date Gülistan was seen is January 5, 2020. We see this: As you know, these perpetrators, Erdoğan Elaldı, Çağdaş Özdemir, Şükrü Eroğlu, Mustafa Türkay Sonel, Umut Altaş, we understand that they were all in a state of movement toward the place where Gülistan was on January 5, 2020. Çağdaş Özdemir is now becoming responsible not only for the cover-up but also for the homicide committed against Gülistan. This has been a truly valuable finding for our file," he said, expressing the discovery.

INVESTIGATION DEEPENED: ARRESTS AND TRANSFERS

In the ongoing process, some of the arrested suspects were transferred from Elazığ to a high-security prison in Erzurum. This transfer decision was announced in connection with the new investigation conducted by the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.

Legal proceedings were initiated against many individuals, including the governor at the time, on charges such as "tampering with evidence," "destroying official documents," and "unlawful transfer of data." Some suspects were released under judicial control conditions.

SEARCH EFFORTS CONTINUE

The suspicious points regarding the fate of Gülistan Doku are being scanned by Gendarmerie Search and Rescue (JAK) and JASAT teams with high-tech devices. Areas determined by data from underground imaging devices are being examined in detail. So far, the young woman's body has not been found; however, the work of the special teams continues under the coordination of Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor Ebru Cansu.

'EFFECTIVE INVESTIGATION IS BEING CONDUCTED'

Providing information about the progress of the file, the Doku family's lawyer, Ali Çimen, stated that a more effective investigation is being conducted with the appointment of the current chief prosecutor. Çimen said, "12 detention orders were implemented within the scope of the file. There was concern in the community about whether the file was being closed. However, with the involvement of the Erzurum Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in the incident, the effective investigation has deepened."

With the new findings obtained within the scope of the investigation and the ongoing operations, enlightening results are expected in the Gülistan Doku case.