Istanbul, February 13 – A new development in a murder investigation in Istanbul has revealed a second homicide in the same Ümraniye apartment where an Uzbek national was previously killed. Two suspects, already arrested in connection with the first murder, have been re-detained for the newly discovered crime.
Investigation Deepens After Missing Person Report
The İstanbul Police Department’s Homicide Bureau launched a comprehensive investigation on February 6, following a missing person report filed by the family of S.E., a 32-year-old woman. Investigations revealed that S.E. entered Turkey on December 28, 2025, and was staying at an address in Ümraniye. Her family had lost contact with her since January 23.
The address where S.E. was last seen was identified as the same apartment where Durdona Khokimova, a 37-year-old Uzbek woman, was killed on January 24, and her body later found in a suitcase in a dumpster in Şişli. This crucial link led to a deepening of the ongoing investigation.
Suspects and Victims Lived Together
Security camera footage showed S.E. entering the residence on January 23. Shortly after, D.A.U.T., 31, and G.A.K., 29, identified as the alleged perpetrators in Khokimova’s murder, also arrived at the same address. Further inquiries revealed that S.E., Khokimova, D.A.U.T., and G.A.K. had lived together in the apartment for approximately one month, and that S.E. and G.A.K. were in a relationship.
Technical surveillance and camera analysis showed the suspects leaving and re-entering the apartment multiple times on January 24, carrying black garbage bags. In their final return, they were seen with a white suitcase. The suspects later left the apartment with the same suitcase, took a taxi to Fatih, and disposed of its contents in a garbage container before proceeding to the Yenikapı Marmaray Station on foot.
Confession Reveals Second Murder
During interviews with D.A.U.T. and G.A.K., who were already in custody for Durdona Khokimova’s murder, a shocking confession emerged. They admitted that S.E. was also murdered in the same apartment on January 23, using a cutting tool. Her body was then dismembered and disposed of in various garbage containers at different locations. This revelation confirmed the connection between the missing person report and the second murder.
Following these confessions and under the instruction of the public prosecutor, D.A.U.T. and G.A.K. were removed from prison and formally arrested on charges of
