Prominent Turkish boss robbed at home

ISTANBUL

The chairperson of a prominent business group and his wife were robbed by three masked attackers in their house in the Central Anatolian province of Eskişehir, according to a statement by the group on May 20.

Three armed perpetrators wearing masks beat Cemalettin Sarar, chair of the Sarar Group, and his wife Zehra Sarar, in their house late May 19, the statement said.

The attackers threatened the couple and demanded $1 million and 1 million euros, local media reported.

Their hands and feet were tied while the robbers opened a deposit box and stole money in foreign currencies and jewelry.

The attackers were speaking in an Eastern European language, the couple told the police, after they managed to untie themselves about one and a half hours later.

The police started examining closed-circuit television footage from around the house, which is located inside a garment factory compound.

A Moldavian staff member was interrogated by the police on May 20, according to local media reports.

“The security forces have been making every possible effort to catch the assailants, and they share information on the progress with us,” said a Sarar Group statement, thanking the governorship and the provincial security directorate.

The group also thanked political leaders, ministers, lawmakers and military officers who conveyed wishes of a quick recovery.

Sarar Group, a leading garment company with stores in 55 countries, was founded in 1944 in Eskişehir. The group has three factories established in an area of 120,000 square meters in the Eskişehir Organized Industrial Site. The 185,000-square-meter compound, which also harbors the family’s house, is located near the highway connecting the provinces of Eskişehir and Kütahya.