An Istanbul court arrested three suspects on Feb. 14 over the murder of an elderly Armenian man recently found hogtied in an apartment in Istanbul’s Şişli district, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Hagop Yakup Demirci, 85, was found dead in his apartment on Feb. 6. Burglars had left him and his wife Seta Ayda Demirci, 79, hogtied inside their apartment stealing some 100,000 Turkish Liras.
An Istanbul prosecutor demanded the arrest of 15 suspects on 13 different criminal charges including homicide and looting. Some of the suspects are reported to be holding Armenian citizenship.
The court ruled for the arrest of three men, identified only as Artur A., Aram E. and Serge B., on charges of “homicide,” “looting,” “seizure,” and “violation of dwelling immunity.” Twelve women were released from detention upon a judicial control decision.
A special team formed of officers from the homicide bureau of the Istanbul Police Department Public Order Unit captured three of the 15 initial suspects in the Black Seaprovince of Trabzon late on Feb. 9, while five other suspects who are reported to have helped commit the burglary, were captured in Istanbul on the same day.
