Türkiye arrests 10 suspects in Germany-linked fraud operation

A display of confiscated items by the Istanbul Police, including stacks of Euro banknotes, two handguns, ammunition, smartphones, a laptop, passports, identification cards, and a black case with ammunition, showcasing evidence from a police operation against organized crime.

Ten suspects involved in 46 separate fraud cases in Germany were arrested in a coordinated operation carried out simultaneously in Türkiye’s Istanbul, Sakarya, and Izmir, authorities said.

The operation was launched as part of an investigation led by the Organized Crime Bureau of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, in cooperation with German judicial authorities and the Istanbul Police Department’s Public Order Division Fraud Bureau.

According to investigators, the suspects posed as police officers, prosecutors, and judges to systematically defraud German citizens. Authorities said the group obtained illicit profits totaling 2.85 million euros ($3.25), with a portion of the funds transferred to suspects in Türkiye.

The following individuals were detained during the simultaneous raids: Y.A., E.P., D.B.T., M.C., D.A., C.G., B.K., S.G., Z.B., and A.E.A.

Several of the suspects, who face charges of “establishing and managing a criminal organization” and “qualified fraud,” are also believed to have ties to the armed criminal group “Hells Angels.”

All 10 suspects are currently being processed at the Istanbul Police Department’s Fraud Bureau.