Turkey: arrest of a man who tried to steal a baby survivor of the earthquake

DAY

A man was arrested in Turkey's southern province of Hatay as he attempted to steal a baby from a hospital, taking advantage of the chaos created by the massive earthquake that devastated the south of the country, the press reported on Thursday. 

The earthquake of February 6, with a magnitude of 7.8, devastated this province bordering Syria and caused nearly 40,000 died in Turkey and Syria.

The 55-year-old man, who came from Ankara, introduced himself as a retired former police officer at the reception of a private establishment in the city from Samandag and claimed a baby whose name he stated, reports the official Anadolu news agency.

In a 20-second video broadcast by the Turkish agency and widely picked up by Turkish channels, a seemingly distressed man in a dark jacket comes forward and asks for the baby before screams ring out to raise the alarm.

The suspect was later arrested and handcuffed.

Police To found on the suspect several false identity cards and a large sum of money, 53,000 Turkish liras, or more than 2,600 euros.

The man also had a weapon in his car “with two chargers and 42 ammunition,” said the private channel NTV.

The Turkish Ministry of Family said Wednesday that 1,396 unaccompanied children have been identified in the provinces affected by the earthquake. Among them, 508 were returned to their families.