İBB Culture Inc. Executive Kidnapped in Maltepe, Investigation Ongoing

Deputy General Manager Erhan Karaal was forcibly taken into a vehicle by unidentified individuals. Karaal was later found in Tuzla, and the number of detainees has risen to eight.

Scraper SystemJune 19, 2026, 09:43 AM

İBB Culture Inc. Executive Kidnapped in Maltepe, Investigation Ongoing

The incident occurred around 9:00 PM on Wednesday evening in Sidar Street, Feyzullah Neighborhood. According to allegations, Erhan Karaal, Deputy General Manager of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Culture Inc., was forcibly put into a vehicle by unidentified individuals in front of his home in Maltepe and kidnapped. Karaal's wife, Ayşe Toprak Karaal, who witnessed the event, reported the situation to the police.

Police teams arrived at the scene following the report and began examining nearby security cameras to locate Erhan Karaal and apprehend the suspects. PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE LAUNCHED INVESTIGATION A written statement from the Anadolu Public Prosecutor's Office said that upon learning of the kidnapping of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Culture Inc. Deputy General Manager Erhan KARAAL by unidentified individuals in Maltepe district on June 17, 2026, necessary instructions were given to law enforcement for the victim's recovery and suspects' arrest, and the investigation is being conducted meticulously.

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Add as a preferred source on Google ERHAN KARAAL FOUND! NUMBER OF DETAINEES INCREASES Karaal, who was reported kidnapped near his home in Maltepe, was rescued during an operation. Karaal, found in Tuzla, is reported to be in good health. A total of eight suspects have been detained, two yesterday and six during the night.

KIDNAPPING MOMENT CAUGHT ON CAMERA Meanwhile, new footage of Erhan Karaal's kidnapping has emerged. The footage shows the vehicle stopping in front of Karaal's home and quickly driving away after he was forced inside. I SAW FOUR PEOPLE CLEARLY Ayşe Toprak Karaal, Erhan Karaal's wife, who said they waited in front of Maltepe Republic Police Station since last night, spoke about the incident.

Karaal said, "Yesterday, after my husband came home from work, we ate dinner. Then we were going to take a walk down to the shore. My husband went out ahead with our little daughter. She was a bit ahead. At that moment, two people grabbed my husband, hit him on the head, and threw him into the vehicle. Our neighbors started shouting. A friend of mine was also coming to the scene. He told me, ‘I spotted the vehicle.’ I went to the window.

From the window, I saw my husband being hit on the head and thrown into the vehicle. My older daughter ran downstairs at that moment. The vehicle quickly drove away, and police arrived at the scene shortly after. My friend ran after the vehicle but couldn’t catch up. We have lived in the same neighborhood for 17 years. Our neighbors also came down immediately, but we couldn’t understand what was happening. This is the first time in our lives we have experienced such an event.

I clearly saw four people, but I couldn’t tell if there were five from above," she said. 'PHONE SIGNAL WAS DETECTED IN AN EMPTY AREA IN KARTAL' Karaal added that the phone gave a signal after some time, saying, "We have the ‘Find iPhone’ app. The phone had been off since yesterday. My daughter kept checking the phones. At one point, she cried and said, ‘Mom, my dad’s phone turned on.’ We were very happy and immediately informed the police.

The police went to the area. It was seen that the phone gave a signal in an empty field in Kartal, but it has not yet been found. I have not received any information that it was found. We have no enemies. We have lived in the same neighborhood for years. We have never had any problems with anyone. My husband is a very gentle and emotional person. He wouldn’t even hurt an ant. We were all shocked by this incident. We had not received any threats before.

I have two daughters; they go to school and ride bikes on the shore. If there had been any threat, my husband would have definitely asked us to take precautions. But there was no warning or threat," she said. Prosecutor’s Office Takes Action! Investigation launched into the claim that 'İBB Culture Inc. Deputy General Manager was kidnapped': 2 detained

İBB Culture Inc. Executive Kidnapped in Maltepe, Investigation Ongoing

Deputy General Manager Erhan Karaal was forcibly taken into a vehicle by unidentified individuals. Karaal was later found in Tuzla, and the number of detainees has risen to eight.