The first serial killer of the Ottoman Empire: Chrysanthos

The Ottoman Empire, defeated in the First World War, entered a difficult period in its history, which she had not yet known. The Truce of Mudros, signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Entente states, paved the way for the occupation of the empire by the Entente powers. In particular, the occupation of the capital Istanbul by the armies of the Entente states, most of which consisted of British soldiers, was a harbinger of a terrible period for the inhabitants of the capital. This period, already quite difficult and gloomy for the Ottoman subjects, became even more unbearable because of the bloody robber named Chrysanthos…

This terrible man, a member of the Greek minority in Istanbul, turned into a bloody and ruthless monster with the support of the occupying forces in occupied Istanbul. During his short life, he brutally murdered dozens of people, mostly police officers in Istanbul, and became the first serial killer of the Ottoman Empire. Here’s what you need to know about the empire’s first serial killer, the ruthless Chrysanthes…

Chrysanthos, whose real name is Christo Anastadiadis Veledi Ahilya, was born in 1898 in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul.

His father, named Alia, left for Athens in 1910 and was never heard from again. His mother, Andernokhin, kept a brothel in Beyoglu. However, Chrysanthos had a younger brother and sister, known as the “Laternachi Kocho”, who helped him in his first criminal attempts …

Known to have worked as a tailor’s apprentice as a child, Chrysanthos was also implicated in crime as a child.

Together with Laternacı Koço, he extorted money from tram passengers and stole money from men who came to the brothel run by his mother. Chrysanthos, who with age has become one of Beyoglu’s notorious thieves, began to rob people in broad daylight.

After Chrysanthos became one of the biggest names in the criminal world, he founded the “Gang of Chrysanthos”, where terrible crimes were to be committed in the future.

The gang led by Chrysanthos included other notable bandits of the period. Zafiri, Phantom Mehmet, Harito, Pashtamaker Niko, Demirchi Andon and Chrysanthos became the most terrible faces of Tatavl (Liberation) Papazkopryu, Dolapdere, Sinankoy, Bulbulderesi and Beyoglu…

Committed the first murder with his gang mates

Gang members broke into a pudding shop in Bogazkesen and brutally murdered the owner of the shop, 65-year-old Recep Usta. They disappeared, taking the money from the store. But they were caught shortly after the incident. Chrysanthos and his friends, who were tried for their terrible murder, were sentenced to 15 years hard labor and sent to prison. Thus, the people of Istanbul, who brushed aside the Chrysanthos gang, breathed a sigh of relief…

Gang members sentenced to 15 years in prison escaped from prison by breaking through the tunnel!

Istanbul newspapers described this interesting and terrible event as follows:Chrysanthos, Zafiri14, pastamaker Niko and Phantom Mehmet, who were convicted of murder and theft of safes and were held in a general prison, managed to escape by opening the sewer under their ward. The police are vigilantly watching them.“He announced to the people of Istanbul…

During Chrysanth’s stay in prison, Istanbul was occupied by the Allied Powers.

Thus, when the gang members got out of prison, they found the environment they were looking for: a desperate and tired Istanbul trying to be overwhelmed by the occupying forces. The gang, which continued to commit crimes in such an environment, began to receive money and weapons from the British. Thanks to this, the actions of the gang became more and more cruel …

However, Chrysanthos is considered a “hero” by some members of the Greek community in Istanbul. For this reason, the Greeks, especially in and around Beyoğlu, helped and incited both Chrysanthos and the gang members. Chrysanthes, on the other hand, worked as an intelligence officer in exchange for the support he received from the British invaders.

Thanks to the support he received from the occupying forces, Chrysanthes continued to commit crimes and murders until the day he was captured.

Many of the people killed by the gang were members of the Istanbul security forces. The first policeman killed by Chrysanthos was Mehmet Efendi, one of the Taksim Police Station officers. Mehmet Efendi came to the aid of a woman named Madame Despina, who was raped by Chrysanthos and other gang members in the middle of the street while walking to the center where she worked one night. However, while he was at the scene, he was shot dead by gang members and died.

After Mehmet Efendi was killed by the Chrysanthos gang, the security forces in Istanbul went after the assassins.

The first attempt to capture Chrysanthos was made by a commissioner named Fakhri Efendi. Fahri Efendi followed Chrysanthos with three policemen he took with him. However, his plan failed. As a result, Fakhri Efendi became the second security officer killed by Chrysanthos… As the number of security forces killed by Chrysanthos increased, the security forces in Istanbul became more diligent in trying to catch this killer.

However, Chrysanthos managed to find a way to escape each time. Moreover, he killed many police officers during the operations carried out by the security forces to capture him. Chrysanthos was the first serial killer of the Ottoman Empire…

Seeking to destroy the gang, the security forces decided to target Chrysanthos’ comrades.

This plan went into effect in a short time, and notorious criminals such as Zafiri, Phantom Mehmet, Harito, Makarnaci Niko, Demirchi Andon were caught or killed one by one. Thanks to the information provided by the captured gang members, the capture of Chrysanthos became a matter of time. However, Chrysanthos was an experienced criminal enough to understand that the circle was narrowing…

Realizing that he could no longer hide in Istanbul, the murderer, together with his beloved Eftimia, fled to Greece in March 1920.

The first serial killer of the empire began to lead a quiet life in Greece, in contrast to his days in Istanbul. He kept a tavern in Piraeus. However, Chrysanthos’ quiet days in Greece did not last long.

When a gendarme named Panayot fell in love with Eftimia and disturbed her, the first serial killer of the empire killed this man as well. Thus, the notorious killer had to start the life of a fugitive again and settle in Thessaloniki …

Eftimia, left alone in Piraeus, left these foreign lands and returned to Istanbul. This situation made Chrysanthos very angry. Thus, Chrysanthos, under the pseudonym “Achilles Anastasiadis”, went to Istanbul to kill his beloved Ephthymia…

The first thing Chrysanthos did after returning to Istanbul was to fight with the security forces.

However, he again managed to escape with injuries. Meanwhile, Eftimia’s father “Meykhanechi Brava”, who was worried about the safety of his daughter and himself, shared important information with the security forces.

According to this, the serial killer was hiding in the house of a man named Fisherman Agathon. Istanbul police have prepared a comprehensive plan to capture Chrysanthos…

The house of Agathon the fisherman was surrounded. Chrysanthos entered his last confrontation with the police teams… The first serial killer of the Ottoman Empire was killed by a policeman named Kafer Tayyar Efendi…

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