13.06.2026 15:20
The Askeri Balta murder, committed in Diyarbakır in 2020 and unsolved for years, has been solved. After a nearly 7-month investigation by JASAT, 7 of the 18 suspects detained have been arrested.
The Ministry of Interior announced that the murder of Askeri Balta, committed in 2020 in the Dicle district of Diyarbakır, has been solved, and 7 of the 18 suspects detained in the investigation have been arrested.
In the statement made on the Ministry's social media account, it was recalled that the perpetrator of the incident in which Askeri Balta was killed with a firearm on September 18, 2020 in Dicle district could not be identified for a long time.
SPECIAL STUDY GROUP ESTABLISHED
The statement indicated that the "Special Study Group" formed as a result of approximately 7 months of planned work carried out by the Diyarbakır Provincial Gendarmerie Command Public Order Branch Directorate JASAT teams, under the coordination of the Dicle Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, re-examined the case file.
It was noted that the teams re-analyzed all statement records in the investigation file, as well as autopsy and forensic examination reports, in detail.
CONTRADICTORY STATEMENTS LED TO OPERATION
In the statement, it was stated that inconsistencies and contradictions were detected in the statements of some individuals consulted during the studies, and following this, simultaneous operations were carried out at addresses in Dicle district on June 8, 2026.
18 suspects, including relatives and village residents, who were considered to be connected to the murder, were detained.
7 SUSPECTS ARRESTED
It was reported that suspects V.Ç., Ö.Ş., M.A., H.T., R.Ş., M.Ç., and R.Ç. were arrested upon the instruction of the Dicle Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
The statement included the following expressions: "Our JASAT teams are handling unsolved incidents one by one retroactively. With the special teams formed, we continue to re-examine and solve crimes committed years ago. We congratulate our heroic gendarmerie, our JASAT, our Diyarbakır Provincial Gendarmerie Command, our Dicle Public Prosecutor's Office, and all those who contributed."