A Turkish court handed down on Friday a verdict sentencing several executives of a pest control company to 18 years in prison for the death of a family of German tourists of Turkish origin, all four members of whom – including two young children – died after being poisoned by a pesticide used at the hotel where they were staying in the Fatih district, in the historic centre of Istanbul.
The trial, which began on 21 April at Istanbul’s 30th High Criminal Court, dealt with the case concerning the death of the couple, Çiğdem Böcek and her husband Servet Böcek, as well as their children Kadir Muhammet Böcek, aged 6, and Masal Böcek, aged just 3.
The family had travelled from Germany to Istanbul on 9 November 2025 to spend a few days there, but were admitted to hospital on 13 November 2025 with symptoms of poisoning, dying hours later, although the father of the family took several more days to die after being admitted to intensive care. Six defendants were present at the hearing, including the hotel owner Hakan Oğlak, who remained in pre-trial detention, and Serkan Kışı, owner of the pest control company DSS, as reported by Turkish media.
According to the indictment filed by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, Serkan Kışı and Zeki Kışı – the owner of the pest control company and his son, respectively – as well as Doğan Cağferoğlu (an employee of the company), Hakan Oğlak (the hotel owner) and Muhammad Moeen Ud In Chıshtı (a hotel employee) were charged with causing the deaths of several people through wilful negligence, with individual sentences ranging from 2 years and 8 months to 22 and a half years in prison. For Rustemsha Batyrov, the hotel receptionist, the prosecution initially sought a sentence of between 2 and 15 years for causing the deaths of several people through negligence, although it subsequently withdrew that request.
Finally, Istanbul’s 30th High Criminal Court handed down its verdict in the last few hours and ruled that the hotel owner should be sentenced to 13 years and 4 months in prison; Zeki and Serkan Kışı – the owner of the pest control company and his son – were each sentenced to 18 years in prison, whilst Doğan Cağferoğlu – who allegedly carried out the fumigation at the hotel – was sentenced to 12 years, 2 months and 20 days. By contrast, Muhammad Moeen Ud In Chıshtı and Rustemshea Batyrov were acquitted as no evidence was found of any action on their part that established a causal link with the deaths.
The victims mistook the symptoms for food poisoning
The case of the tragic death of the Böcek family dates back to 9 November 2025, when the family arrived in Istanbul from Germany and stayed at the Harbour Suites Old City Hotel, located in the Fatih district. On the morning of 12 November, the four of them took a taxi to a medical centre after experiencing symptoms, thinking they might have suffered from food poisoning, and returned to the hotel after receiving treatment.
However, at around 1.00 am on 13 November 2025, their condition worsened and they were taken by ambulance to a hospital. The two children, Kadir Muhammet and Masal, died that same day, despite the doctors’ efforts to save their lives. Çiğdem Böcek died on 14 November, whilst her husband Servet Böcek died three days later, on 17 November.
Although the investigation initially focused on the possibility of poisoning caused by spoilt food, given that the family had eaten street food, the situation changed following the autopsy report issued by the Istanbul Institute of Forensic Medicine, which detected phosphine – a highly toxic gas used in pesticides – in samples taken from towels and other items in the hotel room, where the pest control company DSS had carried out fumigation. The subsequent investigation also revealed that the fumigation company responsible for the chemical treatment was operating without legal authorisation.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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