06.04.2025 12:22
A 19-year-old university student in Bursa realized that her identity information had been stolen by someone else when she received a summons informing her that she was detained for "theft" at Marmara Prison in Silivri. The young woman, who initiated a legal battle regarding the issue, also had to pause her university education. The 17-year-old suspect who committed the crimes confessed everything in court.
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An astonishing event occurred in the Gemlik district of Bursa. K.D. (17), a young girl, obtained a fake identity through a friend. The person in question provided K.D. with the identity information of her cousin, Gizem Y. (19). K.D., who was caught in Istanbul for 3 charges of "theft" and 1 charge of "sexual abuse of a minor," told the security forces that she lost her identity card and introduced herself as Gizem Y., providing her Turkish Identity Number.
LEARNED SHE WAS DETAINED IN SILIVRI WITH A LETTER THAT CAME TO HER HOME
The incident came to light when Gizem Y., a first-year student in the Department of French Language and Literature at Pamukkale University, received a court summons at her home in Gemlik in January 2024. Shocked by the notification regarding a theft incident at a clothing store in Istanbul, Gizem Y. sought help from her friend, Lawyer Kemal Kapar. In his research, Lawyer Kapar discovered that Gizem Y., for whom he had taken power of attorney, had a record for "Theft" and "Sexual abuse of a minor," and that she was detained in the Marmara Women's Closed Prison due to some of these offenses. Gizem Y. had to pause her university education due to the psychological issues and helplessness she experienced.
THE SUSPECT ALSO ATTENDED THE HEARING
Lawyer Kemal Kapar attended the hearing at the Istanbul 12th Criminal Court of First Instance, where his detained client was accused of stealing a wallet from the bag of a person praying in a mosque. Gizem Y. participated in the case opened against her for "theft" via the Audio and Visual Information System (SEGBİS), while the detained suspect K.D., who claimed to be Gizem Y., was also present in the courtroom.
"I CAN'T GO OUT OF THE HOUSE ANYMORE"
Gizem Y., who did not accept the accusations against her, stated in her testimony, "Your Honor, I am innocent. I am not in prison. I have been victimized. I have never been to Istanbul in my life. Due to these difficulties I have experienced, I had to give up my university education. I can no longer go out of the house, I cannot meet with my friends. I had previously gone to the Gemlik District Police Department to give a statement because my identity information was stolen. Later, I learned that the person who stole my information was involved in many crimes in Istanbul, a place I have never been to. I request that the situation be corrected," she said.
ADMITTED HER CRIME
The detained suspect, who testified at the hearing, confessed that her real name was K.D. and that she obtained the identity information from a friend who was a relative of Gizem Y., saying, "After I escaped from the dormitory, a relative of Gizem Y. gave me her Turkish Identity Number. When I was caught for 'Theft' and 'Sexual abuse of a minor,' I introduced myself as Gizem Y. and used her Turkish Identity Number. I accept my crime," she stated.
UNIVERSITY STUDENT ACQUITTED
The court judge, who verified the identity information, determined from the camera recordings at the time the crime was committed that the perpetrator was K.D., and decided to acquit Gizem Y. of this crime. A criminal complaint was filed against K.D. for "Theft" and "Using someone else's identity information," and it was ordered to inform the Marmara Women's Closed Prison that the name of the detained suspect was not Gizem Y. but K.D., and to erase Gizem Y.'s criminal record.
"I LEARNED DURING THE HEARING THAT I WAS IN PRISON"
Gizem Y., who stated that she had been fighting to clear her name for crimes she had not committed for about a year, said, "My identity information was seized. They have been using my identity information for a year. I first learned about this incident in January of last year. Since that day, I have been dealing with courts. This person is using my identity information at police stations, hospitals, and courts. Currently, they are being shown as being in prison. A court document came to my house. We hired a lawyer, and during the hearing, I learned that I was in prison," she said.
"I AM AFRAID OF HER HAVING A CHILD IN MY NAME"
Gizem Y., who stated that there are 4 case files registered in her name, said, "Files keep coming in. That person claims to be me. Right now, there are 4 files in my name. This person has even appeared in the news under Gizem Y.'s name. This person stole the wallet of a woman praying in a mosque. Again, it was taken in my name and sent to prison. Because of this situation, I dropped out of university. I have become afraid to go outside. I returned to Bursa to my mother's side. The person using my identity information is not even of legal age. They went to the hospital for a check-up with a suspicion of pregnancy. I am afraid she will give birth to a child in my name. This process has worn me out a lot. I have had panic attacks, and I could not attend my classes. I could not get out of the courthouse and police station. I will continue my education, but right now I appear to be detained," she said.
"THE PERSON WHO IS DETAINED IS NOT OUR GIZEM"
Lawyer Kemal Kapar stated that they would continue their legal battle by citing the acquittal decision given for Gizem Y. as a precedent for the other cases in which his client appears to be detained, saying, "The judge we spoke to, the clerk, and the law enforcement officers said they had never encountered such a thing before. Individuals or groups who have made it a habit to commit crimes outside are committing crimes with Gizem's Turkish Identity information, and they are being caught. They give this ID at the police station to give statements. Again, they are transferred to prison with this ID, they stay in prison, and they are taken to court from prison to give statements. In the court records, they speak like Gizem. Gizem currently appears to be in prison. While this is the case, Gizem is a university student who had to interrupt her education due to these circumstances and had to return to Bursa to her family. She is now afraid to go to a café or go to the hospital for treatment. The other person continues to receive treatment at police stations, courts, and hospitals with her Turkish Identity Number. The courts are also not very quick, and this continues to negatively affect Gizem's life. Every transaction is done only with the identity number, but notifications come to the client with the MERNIS number. But the person who is detained is not our Gizem. We started this issue with one file, but files started coming in one after another. Most of them are theft. They have stolen things on the bus, stolen things in the mosque, and there are 4 files. One of these 4 files has been completed and finalized. An acquittal decision was made. The other 3 files are ongoing. Our request is for these files to be resolved as soon as possible. As the process drags on, Gizem's life becomes more difficult. A criminal complaint has also been filed against the officials responsible for this incident. We think that the officials should be a bit more careful in the court decision."
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