20.10.2026 12:20
Sincan Municipality has taken action against a chain supermarket in the district that tapes customers’ bags and requires them to use lockers in order to prevent theft. While municipal teams have launched an inspection at the business, Sincan Municipality General Coordinator İsmail Can Ocak announced that criminal and administrative proceedings have been initiated, stating that no practice that disregards the honor and reputation of citizens will be tolerated.
İsmail Can Ocak, the General Coordinator of Sincan Municipality, who has sealed numerous businesses that violated the rules in Sincan to date and become known to the public as “the man who pulled down the shutter,” has taken action against a chain supermarket that taped citizens’ bags shut on the grounds of “preventing theft” and forced them to put their belongings into small lockers by not allowing them to shop with bags/plastic bags.
Ocak described this practice of the supermarket chain, which had previously been sealed for selling without deducting tare, as “declaring the citizen a potential suspect,” and announced that criminal and administrative proceedings had been initiated, stating that no practice disregarding citizens’ dignity and reputation would be tolerated.
BAGS WERE TAPED, CUSTOMERS WERE FORCED TO USE LOCKERS
According to the municipality’s statement, at a chain supermarket with many customers in the district, the bags and plastic bags of citizens coming to shop were taped on the grounds of “preventing theft.” It was determined that, due to the small lockers installed inside the market, customers were not allowed to move around inside with their bags and were forced to leave their belongings in these lockers. The municipal administration took action upon the complaints and condemned the practice.
IT HAD BEEN SEALED BEFORE AS WELL
It was learned that the same market had been sealed for one day a month ago on the grounds that it had sold products without deducting tare four times within one year.
“THE PEOPLE OF SINCAN ARE HONEST”
Sincan Municipality General Coordinator İsmail Can Ocak, making a statement on the matter, emphasized that they always support commercial activities but that no business could disregard citizens’ dignity. Ocak used the following statements:
“The way to fight theft and security vulnerabilities is not to declare in advance our fellow Sincan residents who enter through your door to shop as ‘potential suspects.’ No commercial business, regardless of its brand, size, or number of branches, may apply its own security measures in a way that disregards our citizens’ dignity and their rights regarding personal belongings. The people of Sincan are honest; no tolerance will ever be shown for practices of this kind that humiliate our citizens.”
ADMINISTRATIVE AND CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS INITIATED
In the statement made by the municipality, it was reported that municipal police teams had begun identification and inspection work at the businesses. Authorities stated that all administrative and criminal sanctions within the municipality’s legislation and authority limits would be applied. It was noted that notifications would also be made to the authorized institutions regarding the legal and administrative dimension of the matter.
Ocak concluded his statement with the words “In Sincan, both trade and security have an infallible measure: respect for the citizen.”