Three British tourists were remanded in custody yesterday after they were caught shoplifting at a store in the southern city of Antalya. The female tourists, identified by their initials as J.A.K., P.A. and A.D.W are in their sixties, police said.
They were caught stealing five watches, three sunglasses and other items from a store in the Manavgat district of Antalya, a popular Mediterranean destination for foreign tourists, last week.
The three women, who were on vacation in a five-star hotel in Manavgat, were accompanied by a 14-year-old girl when they entered the store.
They left the store without buying anything but the shop owner, suspicious of their behavior, checked the security cameras and discovered that they shoplifted. He later notified the police.
Police identified the suspects through armbands given to holidaymakers by hotels they stay and detained them in their hotel Friday.
The stolen items were found in their rooms but the suspects denied the theft charges. They initially claimed they have picked the items they stole "by mistake" as they "resembled" their own watches and sunglasses but they changed their testimony before a court.
The suspects claimed they suffered from Alzheimer's disease and did not remember any act of theft and accused the shop owner of defaming them. However, the court ordered their arrest based on security camera footage clearly showing the moment of theft.
