DJ Koray Apergin Found Dead After Possible Kidnapping, Four Men Arrested

By Allison Schonter

Beloved London-based DJ Koray Apergin has died. The Metropolitan Police confirmed over the weekend that Apergin, 43, was found dead in a wooded area near Loughton, Essex, on Saturday, Oct. 15, days after police believe he and an unidentified woman were forced into a van at gunpoint.

According to Essex Live, Apergin's body was discovered in an Essex woodland near an industrial estate on Saturday morning. Police cordoned off Oakwood Hill in Loughton upon the discovery, with authorities later confirming that Apergin was the victim. At this time, Apergin's cause of death has not been determined and is pending a post-mortem examination. It is unclear when the post-mortem will take place. Apergin was the owner of the London-based Turkish language radio station Bizim FM.

The discovery of Apergin's body came just a day after the DJ was reported missing. Authorities received a report on Friday, Oct. 14 at around 1:51 p.m. that Apergin and another person, confirmed to be the DJ's longtime girlfriend, who has not been identified, were missing from their home address in Ebony Crescent, Enfield and had not been seen since the night before. Police later said they believed Apergin and the woman were kidnapped at gunpoint and forced into a white van outside their home. At this time, a motive for the crime remains unclear. Enfield Metropolitan Police confirmed that the woman has since been located and "is physically unharmed."

Four men have since been arrested in connection to the kidnapping and murder. Three men were arrested on suspicion of murder in the Kent area on Sunday and remain in police custody. A fourth man, aged 55, was arrested in the Tottenham area on Sunday on suspicion of murder.

"This is an extremely fast-paced and complex investigation that involves numerous crime scenes and, at this time, has resulted in the arrest of four men for the murder of Koray Alpergin," Detective Chief Inspector Kate Kieran, from Specialist Crime, said in part. "I would appeal to anyone who was in that area at the time, who may have seen anything, no matter how small, to contact police immediately. I urge people to check doorbell camera or dash cam footage – you may have captured something that could prove crucial to our investigation."

Kieran said that while authorities remain in the early stages of the investigation, they are "working on the hypothesis that Koray's kidnappers were possibly known to him and this was not a random attack." Authorities have asked those who may have information regarding the case to contact police. Reacting to news of Apergin's death, T-Vine news wrote, per MSN, "We are devastated by DJ Koray 'Bizim FM' Alpergin's untimely death. He was a brilliant, universally loved man who brought joy to thousands with his radio shows. Our deepest condolences to Koray's family, friends and entire community."

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