06.01.2026 10:37
Zaher Alshabb, a jeweler living in Hatay who fled the civil war in Syria and sought refuge in Turkey, was robbed of gold worth 22 million TL by two armed thieves in just 3 minutes at his workplace. The thieves incapacitated the employees at the store with threats of weapons and escaped from the scene. Police teams are in pursuit of the thieves.
Jeweler Zaher Alshabb, who has been living in Hatay and fled the civil war in Syria, had 22 million TL worth of gold, the result of 20 years of hard work, stolen by two armed and helmeted thieves in just 3 minutes. In a robbery that resembled a movie scene, it was revealed that the thieves stormed the workplace, saying, 'Don't move, this is not a game, we have guns.'
HE HAD BEEN CONTINUING HIS JEWELRY BUSINESS IN TURKEY AFTER COMING FROM SYRIA 10 YEARS AGO
After the civil war that began in Syria in 2011, Zaher Alshabb came to Turkey 10 years ago and started living by opening a jewelry store in the Yeni Mahalle of Kırıkhan district. Continuing the jewelry business he had been doing for 10 years in Syria, Alshabb had been trading without any issues for a decade. While Alshabb and his employees were working, two armed thieves wearing helmets entered the store. The two thieves, armed with long guns and pistols, forced the four individuals in the store behind the counter and robbed the jeweler in just 3 minutes. The security camera footage captured second by second the thieves' 22 million TL heist; it showed the thieves entering the store with guns and filling their bags with gold. Following the store owner's complaint, police teams initiated an investigation into the matter. It was learned that police teams are continuing their efforts to catch the thieves.
"DON'T MOVE, THIS IS NOT A GAME"
Joud Mohammed Alsaleh, who described the robbery by the two armed thieves that resembled a movie scene, said, "We are doing jewelry work here. We were doing our normal work in the store when suddenly they came at us with guns. The thieves said, 'Don't move, this is not a game, we have guns.' They pressured us to raise our hands. We raised our hands and lay on the ground. One of the thieves jumped to the other side and started taking the gold. Then they sprayed pepper spray so we wouldn't see. After that, they took the gold and ran away, and we called the police. May God bless them, the police are investigating, and hopefully, they will find them. The gold stolen, weighing between 3 to 4 kilos, is valued between 20 to 22 million TL. We have been doing jewelry work in Turkey for 10 years, and this is the first time this has happened to us. One had a pistol, and the other had a long gun. There were also two more people waiting in a car outside. There were a total of 4 thieves, two inside and two outside. They put the gold in the white bags they had and stole it," he expressed.