21.04.2026 17:04
The trial regarding the death of the 4-member Bocek family in the Fatih district of Istanbul, who allegedly died from 'poisoning', has begun with 6 defendants, 5 of whom are in custody. During the hearing, Zeki Kışı, the detained defendant and owner of the pest control company, stated in his defense, "I have no knowledge about the pest control business. I am just the owner of the company. I have no information regarding the operations. The only thing I know is that we received training for 2-3 months, that's it. We did not provide training to the employees."
A family from Germany came to Istanbul for tourism on November 9, 2025, and lost their lives on November 13, 2025, due to allegations of 'poisoning.' The deaths of mother Çiğdem Böcek (27), father Servet Böcek (38), 3-year-old Masal, and 6-year-old Kadir Muhammet Böcek were brought to court today, with 6 defendants, 5 of whom are in custody. The hearing at the Istanbul 30th Heavy Penal Court was attended by the 5 detained defendants, 1 non-detained defendant, as well as the parties' lawyers and the victim's family.
"I DO NOT BELIEVE THE FAMILY'S DEATH IS RELATED TO PEST CONTROL" During the hearing, detained defendant and hotel owner Hakan Oğlak expressed his sorrow over the incident, stating, "I have worked as a waiter in hotels for many years. I would have sacrificed my life if it meant this family would not die. Even if my property was burned, I would have preferred this family to live. At the time of the incident, I was receiving treatment for a problem in my leg. Therefore, I could not attend to the hotel. A friend named Halil called me and said, 'There is a pest complaint in room 101, what should we do?' I replied, 'Call the pest control company.' As far as I know, they came and sprayed a few days later.
We kept that room closed for 2 days. The reason we chose that company was due to their Google rating and references from hotels on their website. It is impossible for the spraying done in 101 to affect 202. Because there was no ventilation between the two rooms. We had done pest control before, but no one was harmed. I do not believe the family's death is related to the pest control. I did not carry out the pest control myself. In the inspections conducted at the hotel, even the agricultural and district teams could not determine whether the pest control company had a certificate, so how could I know? I have been detained for a crime I did not commit for 5 months. I have no fault or negligence in this incident. I had this pest control done by a professional company. How could I have known that this pest control company's license was revoked?" he stated.
"I SAW AN AMBULANCE IN FRONT OF THE DOOR ON MY WAY TO THE HOTEL" In his defense, detained defendant and receptionist Muhammad Moeen Ud Din Chishti said that the Böcek family's children vomited in the evening, stating, "I came to work at the hotel in the morning. The door of room 101 was closed due to the pest control. Servet Böcek and Çiğdem Böcek said their children vomited due to what they ate and asked us to clean the room, so we did. At midnight, there was a smell of vomit in the hotel. At 1:00 AM, I went to eat because I was hungry. I also locked the hotel door. When I left, I stuck the key to the window. After eating, I saw an ambulance in front of the door on my way back to the hotel. I opened the door and helped the family. I am very sorry for this incident. I had no knowledge of the pest control. They did not tell me anything. I was working temporarily at this hotel. I was hired by a person named Ali Duran, and I was covering for him," he said.
"I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PEST CONTROL" Detained defendant Zeki Kışı, owner of the DSS pest control company, stated in his defense, "We applied for a certificate for the company in 2019. Then the pandemic hit, and we could not obtain it. I founded this company together with Sinan. The pesticides have names. The experts know what the pesticides are good for. I do not purchase the pesticides; I give money to the experts I arrange, and they buy the pesticides. I have no knowledge about pest control. I am just the owner of the company. I have no knowledge about the operations. The only thing I know is that we received 2-3 months of training, that's it. We did not provide training to the employees," he said.
Upon this, the presiding judge asked the defendant, "You have no knowledge about anyone, you have no knowledge about the pesticides. The people you employ are not even competent in their jobs. Could you not foresee that this could happen?" The defendant left this question unanswered.
Detained defendant Serkan Kışı, son of the owner of the pest control company, stated, "Before working at the pest control company, I worked at İGDAŞ, a subsidiary of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. I left the job because my child was newly born. After 5-6 months, I went to help my father with the work. I have no authority from the company. The person who carried out the pest control is Sinan Gözübek. Sinan visited the sick child. This is confirmed in the HTS records," he said.
"YOU WILL BE CONSIDERED AS CLEANING STAFF" "Serkan told me regarding the job I discussed for pest control, 'we are a cleaning company, and you will be considered as cleaning staff,'" he said.
Detained defendant Doğan Cağferoğlu, who carried out the pest control, also stated in his defense, "I know Serkan and Zeki from our neighborhood. After my daughter was born, my wife and I were laid off, and we were in a difficult financial situation. Serkan sent me a message saying, 'If you are free, come to us, and you can leave later if you find another job.' I waited for news from other companies for the first few weeks, and when I did not hear back, I had to accept. We had a brief conversation. Serkan told me regarding the job I discussed for pest control, 'we are a cleaning company, and you will be considered as cleaning staff.' He provided me with the necessary training verbally, and at the beginning of August, I started going out alone. The company was entirely run through WhatsApp. There were 3 separate groups for appointments, accounts, and applications. Appointments came from the number I saved as Serkan. Then, unfortunately, this incident happened, and we went to the hotel on November 11. We applied for 20 minutes at the reception. There was someone named Eyüp; I asked him, and he pointed to room 101. We did two types of applications there; I diluted the pesticide with water and sprayed it, then poured plastic gel into a plate and left it in the room. After that, the process was completed, and I left the hotel," he said.
All defendants' defenses were completed during the hearing. A 45-minute break was given to the trial, and the hearing will continue after the break. - ISTANBUL