A thief in Turkey executed one of the most unconventional jewelry heists in recent memory by smashing into a store with a stolen forklift and fleeing the scene on a donkey loaded with stolen gold. The 26-year-old suspect, identified only as M.Ç., targeted a jewelry shop in Kayseri’s Melikgazi district early on February 9, 2026, making off with approximately 150 grams of gold before police tracked him down and recovered the loot hours later. Authorities arrested the man and placed him in custody, where he awaits further legal proceedings following the swift investigation.
CCTV footage from the incident, which has since gone viral online, shows the robbery unfolding in the dead of night around 4 a.m. local time. The video begins with an empty street under dim lighting as a forklift approaches and repeatedly rams the store’s metal shutters until they give way. Once inside, the masked suspect, dressed in dark clothing and moving with hurried determination, smashes display cases and scoops handfuls of gold jewelry into a bag, his gloved hands visible in interior camera shots as shattered glass scatters across the floor. He then exits the storefront, mounts a waiting gray donkey, and trots away down the quiet road, the animal providing a starkly low-tech contrast to the heavy machinery used moments earlier.
The footage transitions to daytime scenes where police officers dig in a field, uncovering a buried plastic bag containing the tangled gold chains and pieces, followed by shots of the suspect being led into a police station. Ambient details in the night portions reveal a blue-tinted view typical of security cameras, with no audio but clear visuals of the suspect’s purposeful body language and the donkey’s calm demeanor as it carries him off. Later segments include close-ups of the recovered jewelry and police signage, emphasizing the successful recovery operation enabled by tracking the suspect through the extensive CCTV network.
The choice of a donkey for the escape appears rooted in the practical realities of the area, a semi-rural neighborhood where such animals remain a common sight and mode of transport. By switching to the donkey after abandoning the noisy forklift, the suspect likely aimed for a silent, inconspicuous getaway that would blend into the early morning environment and avoid drawing immediate attention from residents or passing vehicles. This improvised approach underscores the opportunistic nature of the crime, though it ultimately failed against modern surveillance that allowed police to follow his trail and locate the buried gold. View the full CCTV compilation here.
Incidents like this reveal how thieves in regions blending urban and rural elements sometimes rely on available tools and local familiarity, turning everyday items into elements of a heist. The rapid arrest highlights the effectiveness of Turkey’s CCTV infrastructure in deterring and resolving such crimes, even when they involve absurd methods. While the stolen gold, valued at tens of thousands of dollars based on current market rates, was fully recovered, the event serves as a reminder of the bold risks individuals take for quick financial gain in economically challenging times. Details from official reports.
Social media reactions have turned the serious theft into a source of global amusement, with users comparing it to video game scenarios and joking about the donkey’s role. Yet beneath the humor lies a successful police response that prevented any loss for the store owner. This blend of old-world escape tactics and high-tech crime in central Turkey captures a unique moment where tradition inadvertently met modern law enforcement head-on. Additional coverage of the recovery.
