A fugitive accused of masterminding a GBP 7million cash heist in Germany and his convicted accomplice have married in a lavish Turkish wedding where they were showered with money and gold.
The wedding of Busra Satilmis, 29, and Yigit Tufan, 35, took place in Izmir, on Turkey’s Aegean coast, on 19th July, with hundreds of guests attending the extravagant celebration.
The pair were already closely linked to Yasemin Gundogan, who was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison after admitting stealing EUR 8,196,925 (GBP 7,002,755) from a Loomis cash centre in Bremen, Germany.
Satilmis was Gundogan’s former best friend and was convicted of helping with the multi-million-pound robbery, receiving a two-year-and-eight-month prison sentence, which she has already served.
Tufan, who was previously engaged to Satilmis, is accused of being the strategic mastermind behind the robbery and remains wanted in Germany under two outstanding arrest warrants, according to German reports.
One warrant relates to his alleged involvement in the cash heist, while the other concerns alleged call-centre fraud targeting elderly people, with Tufan accused of being involved in a gang posing as police officers.
The wedding was attended by numerous guests who had reportedly travelled from Germany and were accommodated in luxury hotels.
Guests were treated to an elaborate menu including beef entrecote with pepper sauce, couscous risotto and asparagus, followed by fresh pineapple and almond cake.
Images from the celebration showed banknotes being thrown over the newlyweds, while Tufan’s father Mehmet was also seen taking part in the money-gifting tradition.
The lavish ceremony has also drawn fresh attention to the fate of the EUR 8.2million stolen in the Bremen robbery, much of which has never been recovered.
Gundogan previously told a German court that she had expected to receive around EUR 6million (GBP 5.1 million) from the heist but ended up with only about EUR 20,000 (GBP 17,000).
She told the court: "During the crime, I took around EUR 8 million.
"My idea was that I would get the largest part, so six million. In the end, it was only around EUR 20,000. Nothing more."
Gundogan also blamed Tufan for the robbery, saying: “He had the idea for the crime.”
She claimed she travelled to Turkey after the heist and was hidden by Tufan and his family, moving between luxury accommodation and apartments while allegedly being kept isolated.
Gundogan later returned to Germany and surrendered to police after spending 1,033 days on the run.
She told the court she had been cheated out of the stolen fortune and claimed that two villas bought in Turkey were later sold and the money transferred to Tufan.
According to reports of her testimony, she said: "I returned to Germany because Yigit Tufan cheated me."
The EUR 8.2million robbery took place on 21st May 2021, when Gundogan, who worked at the cash-handling company, wheeled a container containing the money out of the secure Bremen facility and loaded it into a waiting vehicle.
She was eventually convicted in December 2024 and ordered to repay the full EUR 8.2million.
Tufan has remained in Turkey, where reports say he has displayed a luxury lifestyle including a Lamborghini, a villa in Bodrum and restaurants in Bodrum, Cesme and Izmir.
His new bride’s connection to the case dates back to before the robbery, when Satilmis was Gundogan’s closest friend and was already in a relationship with Tufan.
The newlyweds have now celebrated their marriage in Turkey while Gundogan remains behind bars in Germany and the fate of the missing millions remains unresolved.
(Marija Stojkoska/Newsflash)
