Istanbul police bust farm used to rape, videotape minors

ISTANBUL

Istanbul police on Feb. 23 busted a goose farm in Istanbul’s Ataşehir district, where seven to eight girls aged between 14-17 are believed to have been raped, according to CDs that were seized showing videos of the minors.

The incident was uncovered when a special police team tracked some girls running away from their dormitories and determined some of the girls had temporarily stayed on a goose farm in the Kayışdağı neighborhood, daily Habertürk reported on Feb. 25.

In an operation on Feb. 23, police teams entered a farm, protected by three pit bulls and a Kangal dog. The police detained a suspect of Afghan origin, said to tend to the goose and chickens on the farm.

Afterwards, police raided the home of Abuzer Sayan, the owner of the farm, in the Ataşehir district and detained him after rescuing a 17-year-old girl, who had reportedly been kept at his home by force.

The farm employee, as well as Sayan, were later arrested by a court order on charges of “sexual abuse” and “imprisonment.”

The police did not locate any of the sexually abused girls on the farm during their raid, but they uncovered CDs that showed the girls engaging in sexual acts at gunpoint, as well as two guns and 180 bullets. Three of the girls in the videos were later located at their dormitories, but had previously not spoken of their experiences out of fear. The police determined the girls had been blackmailed by Sayan, who had threatened to send the CDs to their parents. 

The police also discovered Sayan already had a mile long criminal record with various offences, including “abducting and withholding child.” His other offences included “depriving someone of their freedom,” “stealing a car,” “violating the firearms law,” “maltreatment,” “threatening language” and “insulting language.”