In the name of insurance: Turkish man arrested for pushing pregnant wife off cliff

A Turkish man who pushed his pregnant wife off a cliff after taking selfies was arrested after over two years, reported The Sun.

Hakan Aysal tried to claim wife's life insurance and took out loans in her name. The couple was on a holiday in Butterfly Valley in Mugla, Turkey when Aysal pushed his wife off a 1,000-foot cliff. 

The 40-year-old was subsequently arrested for the murder of his wife Semra Aysal and their unborn child. 

According to prosecutors, Semra, 32, was seven months pregnant at the time of the incident, in 2018. Semra, along with the unborn child, died instantly following the fall. 

In the indictment prepared for the crime of "deliberate murder" against the husband, it stated he planned the ordeal in order to get the guarantee of £40,865 [$56,605] from insurance. The couple reportedly stayed on top of the cliff for three hours so that the husband could make sure no one was around.

Aysal reportedly made the insurance claim shortly after his wife’s death, “but it was declined when news of the investigation was unveiled.”

In a video interview, the court heard from the victim’s brother, Naim Yolcu, who said: "When we went to the Forensic Medicine Institute to get the body, Hakan was sitting in the car.

"My family and I were destroyed, but Hakan did not even appear sad."

In a statement carried by The Sun, Aysal denied killing his wife, saying: “After taking a photo, my wife put the phone in her bag. Later she asked me to give her the phone. I got up and then heard my wife scream behind me when I walked a few steps away to get the phone from her bag. When I turned back, she was not there. I did not push my wife.”