12.06.2026 20:30
Bülent Gündüz, who confessed to the murder of Aynur Kanbur, a member of the Mezdeke group who was shot and killed in front of her home in Şişli 10 years ago, was arrested along with 2 others.
Three suspects detained in connection with the death of Aynur Kanbur, a member of the Mezdeke group who was subjected to an armed attack in front of her home in Şişli in 2016, were arrested after judicial proceedings.
THE KILLER WAS CAPTURED ON SECURITY CAMERA
The incident occurred on March 24, 2016, at around 20:05 on Narçiçeği Street, Şişli Fulya Neighborhood. Aynur Kanbur (49), a member of the 'Mezdeke' dance group founded in the 1990s, was killed by a male suspect who fired multiple shots with a pistol in front of the entrance door of her apartment building. The empty casings found at the scene did not match any other incident or weapon, despite the time that had passed. A special team was formed shortly after to find the killer. The team obtained an image of the suspect captured on a security camera in Mecidiyeköy.
TRACKED DOWN VIA TRANSIT CARD RECORDS
The police, who identified the attacker's description, noting he was wearing a hat, worked for months to determine where he boarded the Metrobus. It was learned that the 6-member special team established within the Homicide Bureau focused solely on this case, examining 4,000 hours of security camera footage. Watching the security camera footage in slow motion, homicide detectives determined that the suspect, who used a hat, traveled from the Avcılar metrobus station toward Mecidiyeköy. Following this development, the police examined all men who boarded the bus from that stop. 1,700 individuals aged 16-50 were identified through transit card records and examined one by one. The investigation led to the name of Bülent Gündüz, who was found to be a relative of Aynur Kanbur. When Bülent Gündüz was placed under surveillance, his movements were found to match those of the killer.
HE WAS INTERVIEWED AND CONFESSED TO THE MURDER
Bülent Gündüz, taken into custody by Homicide Bureau teams, confessed to the murder after his initial interrogation. In his statement, taken with his lawyer present, Gündüz reportedly described the incident in full detail, stating he killed Aynur Kanbur. It was learned that the suspect Gündüz said, "She was our relative. For years, people mocked us because she was a dancer. I couldn't take it anymore and decided to kill her."
HE DESCRIBED THE MURDER DURING THE RECONSTRUCTION
As part of the investigation, a reconstruction was conducted at the crime scene with the participation of the Deputy Chief Public Prosecutor of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Cold Case Bureau, teams from the Public Order Branch Directorate Homicide Bureau, and crime scene investigation teams. Gündüz, brought to the apartment on Narçiçeği Street, described the details of the murder during a 'scene reenactment.' Footage from the police camera of the operation emerged.
"WHEN SHE STARTED COMING AT ME, I TOOK OUT MY GUN AND FIRED"
Stating that he didn't remember some details while recounting the incident, the suspect Gündüz said, "I had been to her house once or twice. 'Aynur Kanbur' was written on the doorbell. I said 'You have a package' over the intercom. She opened it. We had met before. When she saw me, she started cursing. When she started coming at me, I took out my gun. I fired and then turned around and left. I don't remember how many shots I fired. I ran out. 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 by ferry from Emirgan."
"I WAS GOING TO SURRENDER, BUT HAVING YOUNG CHILDREN STOPPED ME"
When asked why he committed the murder, Gündüz said, "Such a person shouldn't exist 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 and got married. I had children, everything was disrupted. I was going to surrender, but having young children stopped me. No one instigated me in this incident. I did it alone. If her daughter had opened the door that day when I knocked, I would have turned around and left."
THEY WERE ARRESTED
Suspect Bülent Gündüz and 2 other individuals, referred to the courthouse after police procedures, were arrested by the court they were brought before and sent to prison.