Real-life heist in Istanbul: Intricate details of hollywood-style robbery unveiled

The ₺130 million heist at Istanbul’s Memduh Pasha Mansion was revealed to have been executed following a monthslong plan akin to a movie script.

Watchman Ahmet Yildirim, who started working one-and-a-half years ago to gain trust, played a crucial role. When Yildirim disabled the alarms, suspects entered the mansion with a truck brought from Bulgaria. The safes were opened with magnetic drills and four different license plates were used on the way back.

The dramatic burglary took place on the night of June 9. The mansion serves as the office for NAB Holding, which is managed by Omid Mohagilegh Eromi, who is the brother-in-law of Reza Zarrab, an Iranian businessman currently on trial in the Halkbank case.

The mansion, housing the holding’s five safes, became the target of the thieves. Ahmet Yildirim, who had been employed as a watchman one-and-a-half years ago, along with other suspects, meticulously planned the heist over several months. During this time, Yildirim gained the trust of the management and familiarized himself with the safes’ features.

In early June, a gray truck with foreign plates was brought from Bulgaria to be used in the heist. The plan was set into motion on the night of June 9, when Yildirim was on his night shift. At 3:30 a.m., Yildirim disabled the alarms, and four masked individuals arrived at the mansion with the truck. Using magnetic drills, they broke into the five pre-identified safes and filled black bags with foreign currency and jewelry valued at approximately ₺130 million. The thieves quickly loaded the bags into the truck and fled, using four different fake license plates to avoid detection.

The heist was discovered the next morning when Umit E., a manager, arrived at the mansion and reported the burglary. The Theft and Pickpocketing Bureau of the Public Security Branch Office launched an extensive investigation, reviewing 400 hours of CCTV footage within 24 hours. The gray truck used in the heist was found abandoned in Pendik. The suspects, identified as B.C., Y.B., Aytekin A., and M.S., were located and apprehended in subsequent police operations.

In a raid on Aytekin A.’s auto repair shop, suspect M.S. was also captured. The search yielded $692,200, 200,000 euros, ₺20,000, 900 grams of jewelry, a magnetic drill used for opening safes, a small quantity of drugs, a cold wallet, three mobile phones, and two fake license plates. B.C. was caught at his home in Fatih, where $4,400, ₺9,000 and a gold ring were seized. Y.B. was arrested at his home in Bahçelievler, although nothing was found there.

After the heist, B.K., A.C.K., S.C., and G.M., who aided the primary suspects, were apprehended in Edirne. While 10 of the 12 identified suspects have been caught, Ahmet Yildirim, who has six prior offenses, and Serdar Canpolat remain at large. Eight suspects were brought to court, where seven were detained and one was released under judicial control.