Neighbors of Dilan and Engin Polat in their former shanty house speak out: 'They were like us, but then...'

Neighbors in the Yenisahra neighborhood of Istanbul's Ataşehir district, where the story of Dilan and Engin Polat—a couple who have dominated Turkey's agenda for days—began, have shared their memories of the Polat family.

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Neighbors of Dilan and Engin Polat in their former shanty house speak out: 'They were like us, but then...'

The shanty house in the Yenisahra neighborhood of Ataşehir, where the story of Dilan Polat and Engin Polat—who are currently under investigation and in custody on charges including money laundering and tax evasion—began, has been photographed.

NEIGHBORS DESCRIBE THE POLAT COUPLE

According to information obtained, Engin Polat lived in this shanty house where he was born and raised, along with his father Sezgin Polat, his mother Şükriye Polat, and his siblings Kürşat and Kübra Polat. After Dilan Polat married into the family, they lived there together for a while. Dilan Polat, who married into the Polat family, which did not have significant financial means, began working as a birth photographer some time after their marriage. Following this, the Dilan and Engin Polat couple left that shanty house and moved into an apartment in a building across the street. A few years after these events, the Polat couple, who opened beauty centers and came to own villas in Çekmeköy and luxury vehicles, were recently taken into custody. Former neighbors of the Polat family, who once lived in the shanty house in Ataşehir, spoke about the family.

"HE WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE"

Mehmet Çaltepe said, "Sezgin Polat worked as a taxi driver for a while. Later, he bought a pickup truck. They were struggling to make a living. They were struggling to make a living under a normal roof. He moved to the house across the street. As long as we were together, they were a good family. After they left the neighborhood, everything was different, their lifestyle was different. Their lives are like this; he was born and raised here."

"THEY LIVED HERE FOR 4-5 YEARS"

Semra Çataltepe, who lives in the same neighborhood, said, "They were a good family; Sezgin and his wife were also good people. But it has been 5-6 years since they left here. I don't know Dilan Polat very well; she came here as a bride. They left suddenly. The white building is Sezgin Polat's house; they went to rent an apartment in the building across the street. I don't know what they did for work. They were like us, but then they left suddenly; I don't know where they went. They lived here for 4-5 years, then they left. They didn't come back, we didn't see them."

News Source: İHA