Missing case of economist ‘arouses criminal suspicion’

Emin Mert Kırarslan - BALIKESIR

Amid the ongoing search efforts for renowned economist Prof. Dr. Korhan Berzeg, who vanished 19 days ago with his dog, an official has raised criminal suspicion arising from the fact that they still haven't been able to find any trace of the dog.

The search and rescue operations for 83-year-old Berzeg, who went missing with his Doberman dog named "Tina" in Balıkesir’s Gönen district on June 17, continue with a team of about 40 experts.

Dog trainer Göktan Eker, a former police officer and trainer of military and police dogs, made remarkable statements about the incident and the vanishing of Tina.

Eker, who sent a team of three search dogs to the region after the professor disappeared, stated that Dobermans are intelligent and highly skilled dogs and that they almost never leave their owners’ sides, especially if they are injured.

Emphasizing that the search team also has a Doberman named "Nikita" and that it is very difficult to get lost in nature with a dog, Eker said the incident seems to be taking a criminal turn.

“What has interested me since the beginning of the incident is that the dog is also missing. It doesn't make sense that they disappeared together. When a dog is lost in nature, it has a much better chance of survival than a human being.”

Stating that Tina would be protective of her owner even if she was untrained, Eker added that these dogs growl and bark when a stranger approaches their owner.

“Our team also searched around areas where dog barks were heard. Tina would not have easily abandoned her owner, even if she had, we would have found the dog. This situation arouses criminal suspicion,” he noted.