KATHMANDU: A fugitive in Turkey who had been on the run for six years to avoid a prison sentence for robbery has been arrested. Tugrul Basar, convicted for three separate robbery incidents in 2010, had been living as a woman by assuming his sister’s identity since 2018.
Basar was apprehended during a special police operation in the Kadikoy district of Istanbul aimed at capturing wanted individuals. Authorities reportedly became suspicious after monitoring his sister’s residence, where they observed two women residing together and using the same identification documents.
Basar’s physical appearance had changed significantly, making him unrecognizable from his previous police photographs. After gathering sufficient evidence, police raided the home and confirmed his identity through fingerprint analysis, despite him carrying his sister’s identification card at the time.
While some reports suggest Basar may have undergone gender reassignment surgery, others indicate he merely adopted female clothing and appearance. Neither claim has been officially verified. Regardless of his presentation, officials stated that Basar will be held in a male prison. Because he did not officially change his name or gender in Turkey’s civil registry, his legal status remains tied to the gender recorded in government documents, and he will serve his three-year sentence accordingly.
