Murderer of nine-year-old boy arrested in eastern Turkey

KARS

A photo showing A.B. posing in front of his red car was reportedly taken by M.A., reports said.

The murderer of a nine-year-old boy, who was found dead on April 7 after going missing in the eastern province of Kars, has been arrested.

M.A. was reported missing on April 6, after bringing food to his uncle’s office in the Karadağ neighborhood. One day later, the boy’s body was found in the trash collecting area of Kars.

The 23-year-old killer, who has criminal records on charges of robbery and abducting a girl, was captured on April 12 after police detected his identity as security forces examined footage of 25 city surveillance cameras and 20 security cameras of work places in the neighborhood.

The murderer, identified as A.B., has been sent to Erzurum prison, due to the sensitive air in the city. The family of A.B. also reportedly left the city after the incident.

A.B. and the victim knew each other through a mutual relationship between the killer and M.A.’s family, but they were not relatives, Kars Governor Eyüp Tepe said.

During his testimony, A.B. denied that he killed M.A at first, but admitted guilt when he was forced to watch the camera footage.

A.B. took the boy to his car to take him home, but went to the trash collecting area instead, reports said. The incident happened over 2 hours 40 minutes, Kars Police Department Head Ercan Çakmak said.

The footage showing the boy getting into a red car, which belonged to A.B., was also released by the police.

A photo showing A.B. posing in front of his red car was reportedly taken by M.A. on the day he was killed, reports said.

At first, incorrect camera footage, which was thought to show M.A., was shared with the public. After the mistake was realized, it was not immediately corrected, Çakmak said, adding the mistake helped catch the killer because A.B. thought security forces were searching for someone else as a part of the investigation.