12.06.2026 13:51
Bülent Gündüz, who confessed to the murder of Mezdeke dancer Aynur Kanbur killed in Şişli in 2016, described the details of the crime during a scene investigation. Gündüz stated that he killed Kanbur because she was a dancer, saying, "I said 'You have a package.' She opened the door. When she saw me, she started swearing. I fired, then turned and walked away. I was going to surrender, but my children being young held me back."
The incident occurred on March 24, 2016, at around 20:05 in Şişli Fulya Neighborhood, Narçiçeği Street. Aynur Kanbur (49), a member of the "Mezdeke" dance group founded in the 1990s, was killed by a suspicious man who fired multiple shots with a handgun in front of her apartment building's entrance door. The empty casings found at the scene after the investigation did not match any other incident or weapon, despite the time that had passed.
4 THOUSAND HOURS OF FOOTAGE REVIEWED A special team was established shortly after to find the killer. The team obtained an image of the suspect captured by a security camera in Mecidiyeköy. Determining that the attacker was wearing a hat, the police worked for months to identify where he boarded the Metrobus. It was learned that the 6-person special team set up within the Homicide Bureau focused solely on this case and reviewed 4 thousand hours of security camera footage. Viewing the security footage in slow motion, the homicide detectives determined that the suspect, who wore a hat, traveled from the Avcılar metrobus station towards Mecidiyeköy. Following this development, the police examined all men who boarded the bus from that stop. 1,700 individuals aged 16-50 were found through transit card records and examined one by one. The investigation led to the name of Bülent Gündüz, who was identified as a relative of Aynur Kanbur. When Bülent Gündüz was placed under surveillance, his movements were found to match those of the killer.
HIS STATEMENT WAS TAKEN, HE CONFESSED TO THE MURDER Bülent Gündüz, taken into custody by the Homicide Bureau teams, confessed to the murder after his initial interrogation. In his statement taken with a lawyer present, Gündüz reportedly described the incident in full detail, saying he killed Aynur Kanbur. It was learned that the suspect Gündüz said, "She was our relative. Because she worked as a dancer, people mocked us for years. Finally, I couldn't stand it and decided to kill her."
HE DESCRIBED THE MURDER AT THE SAME HOUSE 10 YEARS LATER Within the scope of the investigation, a crime scene reconstruction was conducted with the participation of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Unsolved Crimes Bureau Deputy Chief Prosecutor, the Public Order Branch Directorate Homicide Bureau teams, and crime scene investigation teams. Gündüz, brought to the apartment building on Narçiçeği Street, described the details of the murder during a 'scene showing procedure'. Footage from the police camera of the operation has emerged.
"I FIRED, THEN TURNED AND LEFT" The suspect Gündüz, stating that he did not remember some details while recounting the incident, said, "I had been to her house once or twice. 'Aynur Kanbur' was written on the doorbell. I said 'You have a package' through the intercom. She opened the door. We had met before. When she saw me, she started using abusive language. As she started coming at me, I took out my gun. I fired, then turned and left. I don't remember how many times I fired. I ran outside. After the incident, I took the gun with me. I hid it in the shop where I worked for a long time. A week after the incident, I threw my gun into the sea while crossing from Emirgan on the ferry."
"I WAS GOING TO SURRENDER, BUT MY CHILDREN BEING YOUNG STOPPED ME" In response to the question of why he committed the murder, Gündüz said, "There shouldn't have been someone like that in my family. At the time I committed the murder, she was going to some programs and working as a dancer. I went to the military. I came back, got married. I had children, and it always got complicated. I was going to surrender, but my children being young stopped me. No one instigated me in this incident. I did it alone. If her daughter had been at the door when I knocked that day, I would have turned around and left."
REFERRED TO THE COURTHOUSE Suspect Bülent Gündüz and two other individuals were referred to the courthouse this afternoon after their processing at the police station.