Rojin Kabaiş investigation: New evidence and exhumation request

The investigation into the death of university student Rojin Kabaiş, whose body was found near Lake Van 18 days after she disappeared, has revealed new developments. Family lawyer Abdurrahman Karabulut has raised questions regarding the university registration of Kabaiş’s roommate, Rukiye Baştimur, noting that her enrollment was frozen and then reactivated within three weeks without detailed justification. Karabulut also pointed to discrepancies between Baştimur’s statement of sleeping in her room and dormitory records suggesting she was in the canteen at the same time.

In a separate development, the family is considering requesting an exhumation to conduct diatom testing if current findings do not lead to the perpetrators. Previous examinations by the Van and Diyarbakır bars identified DNA from two different males on Kabaiş’s body. Recent police actions included the detention of a couple after camera footage showed two individuals moving an object from a minibus into a house on the night Kabaiş disappeared, and subsequently dragging an object out of the house the following morning. While the couple was released after providing statements and DNA samples, the investigation continues with the involvement of the Ministry of Justice’s Unsolved Crimes Research Department.