50 detained in anti-fraud operations across 8 provinces

The Mersin Police Department had been tracking a number of suspects who had allegedly been calling people and posing as debt collectors, directing accusations at those whom they called and threatening them while demanding money. A detailed investigation led police to uncover a large fraud network that had taken millions of Turkish lira from hundreds of people.

Early on Friday, police departments in eight provinces -- Mersin, Şanlıurfa, İstanbul, Adana, Gaziantep, Bartın, Niğde and Ağrı -- conducted simultaneous operations against this fraud network and detained 50 people. The largest operation was in Şanlıurfa province. Raids of the houses of suspects in Şanlıurfa's Akçakale district led police to seize numerous cellular phones and SIM cards as well as a large amount of money and gold. A total of 14 suspects were detained and are currently being held in Şanlıurfa.