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Looting Spreads in Hatay, Police Arrest Dozens of People. PHOTO/Reuters
ANTAKYA – Destruction due to the devastating earthquake in Hatay, Turki South used a number of people to do crime . Looters have exploited the tragedy in Turkey. They smashed windows with hammers and took everything they could find, including expensive cell phones.
As reported by AFP, a tense situation spread in Hatay, where police arrested 42 people on suspicion of looting. When police detained the suspects, they were carrying cash, smartphones, computers, weapons, jewelery and bank cards.
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Shopkeepers, like those at the bazaar, stand guard alongside the security forces, ready to hunt down anyone who raises suspicions. The ancient city was deserted and the streets that had not been affected by the earthquake were deserted. Taking advantage of this eerie silence were looters, prowling within the shops that were still intact.
While some people, who were in dire need of food and baby products, stepped into the supermarket after help did not arrive immediately. Looters are now searching electronics and clothing stores. Four cash machines were pry off from the front and emptied.
In smartphone shops, only the big label signs remain. Everything else has been taken, apart from a few bits of packaging. Videos have also appeared on social media, which are believed to show looters being beaten.
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A Hatay Resident, Aylin Kabasakal, could not hide his frustration at the situation. “We guard our homes, our cars. Looters looted our house. Unfortunately, there’s nothing left to say. We are broken, we are shaken. What we went through was a nightmare,” he said.
In the province bordering Syria, which hosts more than 400,000 Syrian refugees, suspicion is spreading like wildfire against “foreign” looters. But shopkeeper Nizamettin Bilmez, who sells white goods, admits Turks “can do this too.”
For Bilmez, it’s understandable why people enter supermarkets looking for food. “Usually for baby wipes, food, drinks,” he said. This happened because help did not come during the first few days after the earthquake.
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In a ruling on Saturday, suspects accused of looting can now be held for seven days instead of four, under a state of emergency that took effect this week for three months.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday also said the state of emergency meant that “from now on, people involved in looting or kidnapping should know that the country’s firm hand is on their back.”
(esn)
