A janitor at an İstanbul courthouse is accused of emptying an evidence vault containing about 147 million lira ($3.5 million) in gold and silver and leaving Turkey with his wife days later, in a theft that has raised questions about security inside one of the country’s judicial buildings.
The theft took place at the evidence bureau of the Büyükçekmece Courthouse on the European side of İstanbul. The missing items were kilograms of gold and silver held as criminal evidence in ongoing cases.
Investigators say the suspect, Erdal Timurtaş, arrived before the workday began on November 13 and used a key to open the courthouse evidence room.
Security images cited by Turkish media show him unlocking the safes, loading the gold and silver into a wheeled cart normally used for case files and covering the metal with black bags to resemble trash or documents.
No alarm went off at the time, and the incident went unnoticed for more than two weeks.
The disappearance was uncovered on December 1, when a prosecutor opened the safes during a scheduled inspection.
Evidence rooms in Turkey store cash, foreign currency, precious metals, jewelry, weapons, drugs and other materials collected by courts and police. Items are supposed to be logged in a national database and stored under strict control.
The fact that a janitor allegedly entered the room, removed large quantities of precious metals and left without immediate detection has raised concerns over whether safeguards were followed.
Investigators say Timurtaş and his wife left İstanbul on November 19 on a flight from Sabiha Gökçen Airport.
Media reports say he had obtained a UK visa months earlier, suggesting advance planning.
When the theft was discovered on December 1, the couple were already outside Turkey.
Authorities have asked the justice ministry to request an INTERPOL Red Notice. Any extradition would depend on UK legal procedures.
One suspect detained in Turkey
At least one suspect in Turkey, identified only by the initials K.D., has been detained.
Local media say tensions have grown inside the Büyükçekmece Courthouse, where the supervising prosecutor, Yavuz Engin, filed a criminal complaint about reports claiming he was under investigation.
Under Turkish law, both evidence clerks and supervising prosecutors can face consequences if assets stored in their care go missing.
Timurtaş’s mother, Türkan Timurtaş, told the Demirören News Agency (DHA) that her son was “used as a stooge” by others.
She questioned how a janitor had access to the vault key and said he did not have financial problems.
“My son started as a janitor,” she said. “What was that key doing with him? He is not someone who could do this on his own.”
She suggested that higher-ranking officials may have directed him and said the family learned of his departure only when police came to their home.
The İstanbul theft has renewed scrutiny of the system after previous scandals involving missing drugs, swapped jewelry and unaccounted evidence in other Turkish courthouses.
Investigators are trying to determine where the gold and silver went and whether the metals were sold inside Turkey before the suspect left.
The UK will decide whether to act on any Red Notice and whether to review an extradition request.
Turkish authorities are also investigating whether anyone inside the courthouse helped coordinate or enabled the theft.
The case has become one of the largest known losses of precious metals from a Turkish courthouse.