One killed, 2 injured at jewelry robbery
ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency
One of the suspects was captured and taken into custody right away. AA photo
Two armed individuals robbed a jewelry shop and currency exchange office in Pendik, İstanbul, Aug. 9, murdering the shop’s owner and injuring his son and a citizen who tried to stop the crime.The armed robbers, one of whom was dressed as a headscarf-wearing woman, fired shots at shop owner Rıfat Bilgin and his son, and then stole some of the gold in the office of the store before fleeing the crime scene.
Yetkiner Urtekin, an employee at a carwash service, tried to stop the suspects, who were trying to get away by motorcycle. Residents of the building where the shop is located attempted to prevent the robbers from fleeing by throwing garbage cans.
The suspects shot and injured Urtekin before crashing their motorcycle into another vehicle in nearby Yayalar Avenue. Ali Haydar Yıldız, one of the suspects, was captured and taken into custody while trying to run away from the scene of the accident. The other suspect, Cem Gül, took Mesut Demirtaş, a construction worker, hostage in an effort to hold off police, while his accomplice Yıldız was hospitalized.
Rıfat Bilgin, who sustained several gunshot wounds, could not be saved and died at Marmara University’s Pendik Education and Research Hospital.
Yıldız is being treated for his injuries at the same hospital, as are the business owner’s son Şakir Bilgin, Urtekin and Demirtaş.
Two weapons, one of which is a MP-5 pistol, were found in the suspects’ possession. The other weapon was revealed to be a handgun. The suspects planned to drive the motorcycle to a van they had parked before robbing the shop to make their getaway the crime scene. A police investigation discovered two pipe bombs in the vehicle. The investigation of the case continues.
