12.01.2026 13:14
20-year-old Berat Öngün, who is reported to have stolen 6 kilograms of gold and 1 million lira in cash from a jewelry store he entered after opening its shutter in Iğdır, stated in his testimony, "I saw the jewelry store and wanted to go in. I don't know why I acted this way."
The incident occurred on December 29 at around 03:00 in a jewelry store on Cumhuriyet Street in Cumhuriyet Neighborhood. The person who opened the shutter wearing a motorcycle helmet entered the jewelry store and fled with approximately 6 kilograms of gold and 1 million lira in cash. The Iğdır Provincial Police Department's Public Order Branch Theft and Pickpocketing Bureau teams identified the suspects as B.Ö., M.B., and İ.A. During technical and physical surveillance, they apprehended the three suspects, who had purchased a vehicle immediately after committing the crime, at around 20:00 on the same day. A search of the suspects revealed 190,000 TL in cash and various weights and types of gold. The police seized the cash, gold, and the vehicle determined to be obtained from the proceeds of the crime.
ONE OF THE SUSPECTS ARRESTED After the procedures at the police station, the three suspects were referred to the courthouse. While Berat Öngün was arrested, İ.A. (22) was placed under house arrest, and M.B. (18) was released conditionally.
HIS STATEMENT EMERGED Berat Öngün's statement has come to light. Öngün, who stated that he sat in a café with his friends for a while on the night of December 28, said he went home after having dinner around 22:00. He mentioned that he felt bored while sitting at home and went outside, saying, "I went to my brother's shop, took the motorcycle there, and started to ride around. I saw the jewelry store and wanted to enter. I don't know why I acted this way."
Öngün stated that he broke the padlock with a wrench he took from his brother's shop and entered by opening the shutter, saying, "First, I checked the drawers. I saw that there was cash in one drawer. I took this money in bundles. When I checked the other drawers, I didn't see any gold. However, I saw that there was a safe key in one drawer. I opened the safe with this key. I filled a bag I found there with the gold in the form of grams, quarters, Republic gold, bracelets, and ingots. I did not take the gold chains, necklaces, and nameplates. After that, I left the jewelry store and went directly to my residence. When I arrived at my residence, I thought for a while. I came up with the idea of buying a car," he said.
HE WENT TO VAN AND BOUGHT A CAR WITH THE STOLEN MONEY Öngün expressed that İ.A., whom he asked for help, questioned where the gold in the bag came from, and he said he found it on the road. He reported that he took 5 pieces of 50-gram gold and 12 Republic gold coins along with 40,000 lira in cash and put them in his pocket. Öngün stated that he asked İ.A. to hide the remaining gold and money and said that he went to Van with M.B. to buy a car. He noted that when they went to Van, he bought the vehicle he found on the internet for 1 million 610 thousand TL, paying the owner with gold and cash. Öngün said, "After buying the vehicle, we started our way back to Iğdır. The police stopped us at the entrance of Iğdır and made the arrest. I carried out this act alone."
"I WANT TO COMPENSATE FOR THE DAMAGE" Berat Öngün, who claimed that the amount mentioned in the complainant's statement was excessive, said, "The amounts of gold and money mentioned in my statement are the total amounts of gold and money I took. The gold and money seized from İ.A.'s vehicle and home, along with the amounts I spent on purchasing the vehicle, are the total amounts of gold and money I stole. I did not steal any other gold or money. The amounts mentioned in the complainant's statement given to me are excessive. I want to compensate for the damage with the remaining gold and money seized and the money I spent."