Robbery suspect now linked to 8 suspicious deaths

Mehmet Ali Çayıroğlu, a convicted burglar, now face a probe over eight suspicious deaths this year in northern Turkey's Ordu.

Çayıroğlu was arrested last week for breaking and entering a home in the province's Akkuş district. He is accused of attacking and handcuffing two people before stealing their money. With the help of the surviving victims, police identified the suspect as Çayıroğlu, who had previously been convicted of stealing livestock. He is now under investigation for murder after some belongings of the deceased were found in his home.

Security forces found four cell phones, a hidden stash of Turkish liras and $400, three rifles and two pistols. He also had 23 cattle and sheep in his barn. Investigators discovered that one of the rifles and one of the animals in the barn belonged to Şeker Köseoğlu, a 60-year-old woman who was found dead in a forest in Ordu on May 3. One of the cellphones and a woman's bag found in suspect's home belonged to a couple who were found dead in their home from gas poisoning on July 31.

Çayıroğlu denied his links to the deaths but failed to offer an explanation for the victims' belongings. Authorities have also linked him to the deaths of Nuri and Lütfiye Usluoğlu, a couple who were killed in a house fire in Ordu's Ünye district.

The death of three others in a house fire in Ordu's Akkuş district on July 22 may also be linked to Çayıroğlu, media reports claimed. Police are yet to establish a connection in this case.