Moment British couple marched into Turkish police station after 'stealing purse'

31 August 2023 , 22:08

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Moment British couple marched into Turkish police station after 'stealing purse'

This is the moment a British couple were led into a Turkish police station after they were arrested for allegedly sneaking into a hotel, and stealing a woman's bag before going on a spending spree.

The unnamed British couple were on a sun lounger after allegedly sneaking into the posh hotel in the Turkish city of Marmaris. When another unnamed hotel guest went to the hotel restaurant, the couple reportedly snatched her bag and made a speedy exit. The unsuspecting woman had no idea her bag had been stolen until she got a notification on her telephone that TRY 28,000 (£829) and withdrawn from her account. The police then discovered the theft of the bag using the hotel's CCTV cameras.

The couple were arrested and taken to the local station (Newsflash)

Detectives spent hours studying street footage around the city to track the progress of the pair and eventually located them at their hotel in the Armutalan District of the city only a few hours after the theft. Police said that the 34-year-old British man had been released on bail after being interviewed at the police station, but the 32-year-old British woman was being kept in custody. The stolen property was also recovered in the British couple's hotel room and returned to the victim, police said.

In May, a British man was arrested in Turkey after a fatal mid-air collision with another paraglider that sent both men plummeting onto a hotel roof. Thomas Aitken, 45, is said to have been detained by police after 30-year-old Orkut Baysal died following their mid-air disaster.

The couple fleeing with the bag in question (Newsflash)

Baysal, who was in the Turkish national paragliding team, jumped from 1,700m above sea level when the disaster struck. He had jumped with fellow Turkish national paraglider Andac Ünsal, 45, as part of a tandem flight at the same time that Aitken was carrying out a solo jump.

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During the professional paragliders' descent, Baysal and Aitken collided, with both men plummeting onto a hotel roof before landing on the edge of the resort's swimming pool. Baysal died from multiple injuries and both Aitken and Ünsal were reportedly hurt, but not with life-threatening injuries.

It is understood that Aitken was subsequently detained in police custody pending the outcome of the investigation. Turkish police are investigating the cause of the collision and whether there was any negligence by those involved. The deadly incident has reportedly raised questions regarding safety regulations and practices in the paragliding community in Turkey where many tourists come to take part in the sport.

Rachel Hagan