Three murders in three days have led locals to believe a serial killer is on the loose in Balçova, Izmir province. The MO in all three killings is similar, but the authorities are no yet sure if they are a work of a serial killer.

The last victim, a 30-year-old transvestite, Mustafa As, was murdered on Monday night when he was shot in the head in the Konak district. They first thought he was asleep but realized he was dead after they opened the car door. On Monday, 22-year-old Ayse Selen Ayla, a student at the Izmir University of Economics, was killed while returning to her dorm after going shopping. The day before, 27-year-old Esra Yasar, an employee at a bank, was murdered in the same district while walking home.

The weapon used on Monday and in the murder of a university student in the same district on Sunday night, was the same, according to preliminary police research. Forensic reports reveal that 7.65 mm bullets were used in all three murders. The three victims also all had their handbags stolen. These similarities have strengthened the thesis that the incidents are connected. Police are continuing to investigate the events in order to prove that all three cases can be linked together.

Fears that a serial killer is on the prowl were voiced after the second murder, and police are taking extensive security measures in the district.

-article from Today’s Zaman, rewritten and adapted by admin-