Authorities have detained 12 suspects in connection with the disappearance of Gülistan Doku, a university student who went missing in the southeastern province of Dersim in 2020.
The investigation saw raids conducted across İstanbul, Ankara, Dersim, Antalya, and Elazığ following the emergence of new evidence and secret witness testimony.
Among those detained are Zainal Abakarov, Doku's former boyfriend and the primary suspect, and his stepfather Engin Yücer, a dismissed police officer.
DOKU MISSING FOR 2 YEARS
‘They have stalled us for 2 years, saying that they will find Gülistan’
The list of detainees also includes Mustafa Türkay Sonel, the son of the Tuncay Sonel, the governor of the province at the time of the disappearance.
Other suspects include university staff responsible for security cameras and a former bodyguard of the governor.
‘GÜLİSTAN DOKU’ STATEMENT BY ERDOĞAN
‘We made every effort, but could not find Gülistan’
The lawyer for the Doku family, Ali Çimen, stated that the detentions were based on suspicions of "homicide."
"The detentions will continue. Senior public officials have not been detained yet, but they likely will be," he said. "From this point on, the goal is to uncover the criminal organization formed around a high-level public official," Çimen said.
Anonymous note
The investigation gained momentum after an anonymous note mentioning Mustafa Türkay Sonel was left for the family lawyer, Habertürk reported citing police sources.
Subsequent analysis of vehicle movements on the night of the disappearance found that Sonel's activities were "incompatible with the ordinary flow of events," according to the report.
Water drained from dam, Gülistan Doku searched on soil ground
Technical examinations of Doku's phone traffic, social media accounts, and bank transfers expanded the scope of the case. According to investigative findings, a "visible circle" was established around the Doku family by certain public officials to control their contacts and social media posts.
The probe also revealed discrepancies regarding Doku's SIM card, which was reportedly withheld from official records despite claims it had been delivered to the prosecutor's office.
Background
Gülistan Doku, a second-year child development student at Munzur University, disappeared on Jan 4, 2020. She was 21 years old at the time. While initial search efforts focused on the Uzunçayır Dam Lake following a signal from her mobile phone, no trace of her was found despite the dam being drained.
Investigations later revealed that Abakarov had access to the case file as early as Feb 2020 through his stepfather, a police officer at the time, and had sent messages indicating he knew his phone would be confiscated. The stepfather was later dismissed from his job.
Mother and sister of missing Gülistan Doku released from detention
The case was reopened in Jun 2024 by Dersim Chief Prosecutor Ebru Cansu, who formed a specialized team to re-examine all city surveillance footage and license plate recognition records, according to the Habertürk reporting.
In February this year, Doku’s sister, Aygül Doku, publicly claimed that the public had been misled by a "suicide" narrative and that the family possessed documents proving the case was a murder involving public officials. (VK)
