Four Serbians allegedly plotting major robbery arrested in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Four Serbians have been arrested over a planned robbery in Istanbul, which was revealed after a search operation in a parking lot in the city’s Kadıköy district, daily Habertürk reported on March 4. 

Police officers had carried out a search in the parking lot on Feb. 21, seizing a long-barreled weapon, 25 cartridges for the weapon, four hand-held radios, and luggage tags belonging to Serbian nationals.

The owner of the private parking lot, who was detained and interrogated by the police, said the weapon belonged to four Serbian nationals staying in an apartment they rented next to the parking lot.

Police carried out an extensive search in the apartment where the four Serbian nationals were allegedly staying, seizing two sledgehammers, a tablet PC, four mobile phones, two cans of spray paint, four hacksaw blades, a hammer, two screwdrivers and two BMW car keys that were allegedly going to be used in a robbery.

The police managed to identify the Serbians from the names written on the luggage tags and shortly afterward all of them were caught and arrested by the police.

The suspects reportedly entered Turkey last month and are accused of planning to carry out a major robbery before returning to Serbia.