15.04.2026 12:58
In Tunceli, the investigation file of university student Gülistan Doku, who has been missing since January 5, 2020, revealed that dismissed police officer Gökhan Ertok, who was detained in the investigation, used Doku's SIM card 13 days after her disappearance and used it for approximately 3 hours, transferring data. The file also determined that Ertok had meetings and money transfers with the then-governor Tuncay Sonel and detained former bodyguard Şükrü Eroğlu.
Regarding Gülistan Doku, who has been missing since 2020, the investigation, which was taken off the shelf after 6 years, is increasingly pointing towards suspicion of murder.
NEW CHIEF PROSECUTOR TOOK THE FILE OFF THE SHELF, SPECIAL TEAM ESTABLISHED Ebru Cansu, one of Turkey's three female chief prosecutors appointed to Tunceli by the June 2024 decree of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSK), requested the establishment of a special team in the investigation regarding Gülistan Doku, who has been missing since January 5, 2020. In the investigation, all KGYS footage and PTS records from the city for the day before Doku's disappearance and the day she disappeared were collected again. A total of 70 KGYS cameras, 67 of which are main arteries, and an additional 700 hours of footage from security cameras, including new images of Gülistan, were added to the file. In the investigation, simultaneous operations were conducted in 7 provinces to apprehend 13 suspects on suspicion of murder. Thirteen people, including Doku's boyfriend Zeynel A. and M.T.S., the son of the then-governor of Tunceli, Tuncay Sonel, were detained. It was learned that a red notice request would be made for the 14th suspect abroad, for whom an arrest warrant was issued within the scope of the investigation.
SIM CARD TRACED In the work carried out by Chief Public Prosecutor Ebru Cansu, the SIM card and the phone's IMEI number were traced. Based on data from the BTK, it was determined that the SIM card was inserted into a device and connected to a workplace's wireless internet in airplane mode. Teams, working from the IP address and the device's IMEI number, determined that the phone was used 13 days later by Gökhan Ertok, who was later dismissed from the police force. An examination of the HTS records and bank documents of Gökhan Ertok, who entered the file as a suspect and was detained in the operation, revealed that he had communication traffic and made multiple money transfers with the then-governor Tuncay Sonel and former bodyguard Şükrü Eroğlu, who is also in custody. The prosecutor's office determined that the suspect accessed Gülistan Doku's social media account by obtaining a one-time password via the 'forgot my password' method. As a result of an examination by experts from the National Criminal Department, it was found that Ertok accessed the account and deleted 2 people from the friend list on social media. It was also determined that the suspect performed data transfer for approximately 3 hours.
"I ENTERED THE SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT, I DON'T REMEMBER INSERTING IT INTO A PHONE" Gökhan Ertok, who was detained by JASAT teams in Ankara and brought to the Tunceli Provincial Gendarmerie Command for statement procedures, claimed in the preliminary interview that he entered Gülistan Doku's social media account but did not remember inserting the SIM card into a phone, and requested a lawyer. Since the Tunceli Bar Association decided not to defend the suspects in the Gülistan Doku file, a lawyer from Elazığ was appointed for the suspect.
LAWYER ÇİMEN: SIM CARD HANDED OVER TO A CYBER GANG Ali Çimen, the lawyer for the Doku family, stated in a statement that Gülistan Doku's SIM card was handed over to a cyber gang, saying, "We had persistently stated that a high-level public official was covering up the file in the Gülistan Doku case. At this stage we have reached, we had previously informed the prosecutor's office that this high-level public official was Tuncay Sonel. We had filed complaints about him via petition. Tuncay Sonel, in the days following her disappearance date of 05.01.2020, on 18.01.2020, contacted a cyber gang and handed over Gülistan Doku's SIM card, which had been delivered to him in relation to his duty, and ensured that some people were deleted from the social media account. The person who carried this out, Gökhan Ertok, had contacted us via email. He used a pseudonym, but it was understood that it was him. He also described his action. His action overlapped with our file. Gülistan's SIM card is handed over by Tuncay Sonel to a cyber gang. and the data belonging to Gülistan is deleted by this gang. There is no doubt about this matter."
"INTERFERENCE IN THE FILE IS VERY CLEAR" Lawyer Çimen, expressing that the Ministry of Justice has done its part, said, "There are also HTS base station records between Gökhan, who was involved here, and Tuncay Sonel. The fact that money was repeatedly sent to him by Tuncay Sonel's chief of protection is also confirmed by bank records. Tuncay Sonel's actions have now clearly emerged. His interference in the file is very clear. The fact that he is still serving as a chief inspector of the civil administration prevents our file from being conducted healthily. Our file has been pending for 6 years. We see progress in the file with the change of the Minister of Justice. As a lawyer, I am speaking about the file, and I want to state this clearly. The Ministry of Justice has fulfilled its duty here. Sonel still serving as a chief inspector of the civil administration is a matter within the discretion of the Ministry of Interior. His interference in the file is clearly evident. It has been demonstrated with material evidence. Now, the hand of the Tunceli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office must be strengthened here as well. We demand that the Ministry of Interior suspend this person. Subsequently, detention decisions will follow."