The same criminal under the same mask

Following some suspicious behavior, Turan Polat was caught by the police while preparing for an illegal operation in Yalova the other day. A police check showed that Polat had replaced the number plate on his hired car with a stolen one. When he was picked up he was clad in a bullet-proof vest, and was carrying a gun. Polat, who was freed from prison a couple years ago thanks to the amnesty issued with the help former prime minister's wife RahÅŸan Ecevit, was caught in Yalova carrying masks, gloves, a fake plate number, a screwdriver and duct tape - police do not yet know what or who he was after.Polat was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment in 1997 after he murdered Kadri Gül - on the grounds that he did not pay back a promised amount of 650 YTL. Gül, who was at the time a hairdresser and an automobile broker in BayrampaÅŸa, was on his way home carrying the day's proceeds when he was attacked by Polat. Driving a hired car with a replaced fake plate number, Polat shot Kadri Gül in the head and injured his friend Ãœmit Akın, who was walking with Gül at the time of the shooting. Later on, he turned on to Gül once again to shoot three more times, leaving him dead. He did not take the money bag though, and ran off with another car driven by a relative, Hüseyin Çelik. One year prior to the event in 1997, Polar had resigned from Küçükçekmece Police Department - where he worked as a police officer. When the police picked him up the other day, Polat looked to be just about to commit the same crime - just like he did eight years ago, Polat had hired a car in Yalova. He was also carrying a fake ID and was aided by another ex-convict, Canip Kandemir. Polat and Kandemir were caught after drawing the attention of traffic police. Following the chase, Polat got out of his original vehicle to drive another car he already had waiting. Soon afterwards, his efforts failed and both himself and his accomplice were caught and arrested. Â