July 6, 2026 - 14:23 | Last updated July 6, 2026 - 14:23

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Abdulaziz Al-Shahri (Riyadh) abdalaziz_12345@

A Turkish woman named Elif Şahin, 32, faces a complex legal fate after being sentenced to up to 127 years in prison for 157 theft crimes, while her eighth pregnancy raises questions about the execution of the sentence. According to Turkish media, a large police special forces team raided a home in Istanbul to arrest Şahin after she had evaded the execution of the sentences against her. A video showed the raid with armed officers. Investigations indicate that the defendant gave birth to seven children over the past years, taking advantage of Turkish laws that prevent the imprisonment of pregnant women, which allowed her to postpone the execution of sentences multiple times. However, authorities recently began procedures to execute the sentence after the postponement period expired.

But the surprise that brought the case back to the forefront was the discovery of her pregnancy with her eighth child, now in her third month, which may give her a new opportunity to postpone entering prison, despite fears of her continuing criminal activity while she remains free.

Investigations confirm that Şahin continued to carry out thefts in the recent period, and security cameras in several shopping malls captured her committing new thefts. Her legal file is not limited to the sentences issued; she is still wanted under 18 additional arrest warrants, including charges of stealing property from buildings and skillfully grabbing portable items. The total sentence duration is likely to increase if new sentences are issued, while Turkish authorities have not yet decided whether to execute the sentence during her eighth pregnancy or postpone it again. Şahin's oldest child is 12 years old, while the youngest is two, amid widespread debate in Turkey about some women exploiting repeated pregnancies to delay judicial sentences.