A village guard was arrested on July 24 as part of a renewed investigation into the 2020 disappearance of university student Gülistan Doku in eastern Türkiye, bringing the number of suspects jailed in the case to 13.
Fatih Özmen was remanded in custody on charges of intentional murder and concealing or destroying evidence after prosecutors completed his questioning. A businessman detained alongside Özmen was released under judicial supervision with a travel ban.
The two suspects were reportedly taken into custody following an examination of the mobile phone belonging to former Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel, who is among 12 people already jailed in the investigation. Fifteen other suspects remain in gendarmerie custody.
A 21-year-old student at Munzur University, Doku went missing on Jan. 5, 2020, after leaving her dormitory in Tunceli.
Her mobile phone was last detected near a viaduct overlooking the Uzunçayır Dam reservoir, but searches in the area failed to find any trace of her. Security camera footage showed Doku meeting her former boyfriend Zeinal Abakarov near the governor’s office on the day she disappeared before later boarding a bus, though authorities could not determine where she got off.
The investigation was reopened after Akın Gürlek was appointed justice minister, leading to the detention of 17 additional suspects. Among those previously arrested are Sonel, his son Mustafa Türkay Sonel, Abakarov and several former officials accused of tampering with evidence.
A fugitive suspect wanted under a red notice, Umut Altaş, was also detained in the United States, according to media reports.
