Shameless defense from treasure hunters digging graves in Arnavutköy! 'We didn't steal the bones, they're still there'

The cemetery in the Yassıören neighborhood of Istanbul's Arnavutköy district has become a target for treasure hunters. It is alleged that the cemetery was dug up for the third time on the grounds that it is an "Armenian cemetery." Citizens who came to pray were shocked to see the opened graves.

It was learned that individuals previously detained by the gendarmerie had admitted in their statements to digging the graves in search of treasure, but were subsequently released. Despite this, it was stated that treasure hunters have once again plundered the cemetery.

During the excavations, it was observed that bones were scattered about and some graves had been repeatedly closed and reopened. Local residents and the neighborhood headman (muhtar) reacted to the situation.

Yassıören Neighborhood Headman Abdülkadir Atay expressed his anger over the events with the following words:

"They have dug up the graves once again. This is the third time. They were caught before, their statements were taken, but they were released. The laws on this matter are very lenient. The grave of a citizen buried 51 years ago has been opened, and the bones are outside. There is no such disrespect. As a headman and as a citizen, I am deeply disturbed. We want a solution now; authorities must take precautions. The grave that was dug up is the grave of my grandfather's uncle, Yaşar Yücel. His bones were scattered outside. When we caught them, I even asked, 'Can a Muslim grave be dug up?' They mocked me by saying, 'We didn't steal the bones, they're still there.' Both we and our gendarmerie are tired of this."

The cemetery destroyed by the treasure hunters was also recorded by a drone camera. In the footage, in addition to graves dug meters deep, the exposed bones, items scattered around, and gloves left behind drew attention.