Cyber operation Siberag-1 nabs 35 suspects, $108.7M involved
(AA Photo)
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced that 35 suspects, with financial transactions amounting to ₺3.6 billion, have been apprehended in “Operation Siberag (Cybernet)-1” targeting cyber crimes across 13 provinces.
Coordinated by the Cyber Crimes Department of the General Command of the Gendarmerie, these operations were conducted by Provincial Gendarmerie Commands in Zonguldak, Istanbul, Adana and Ankara, as well as Bursa, Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Sanliurfa, Batman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Tekirdag and Burdur.
In Zonguldak, Istanbul, and Bursa operations, nine suspects were arrested for allegedly defrauding citizens via a social media application by promising “Credit Card Fee Payments” and gaining illicit profits.
In Istanbul, the Provincial Gendarmerie Command’s Cyber Crimes Division arrested eight suspects accused of facilitating illegal betting and defrauding citizens through a fake cryptocurrency application by promising “high returns.”
Operations centered in Adana, Hatay, Kahramanmaras and Sanliurfa resulted in the arrest of 6 suspects who allegedly defrauded citizens by posting rental property advertisements on social media and charging “Rent, Deposit, Real Estate Agent Fees.”
In Ankara, four suspects were arrested for allegedly enabling the querying of personal data through an online panel for a fee.
Additionally, investigations by the Cyber Crimes Division of the Provincial Gendarmerie Command in Gaziantep, Tekirdag, and Burdur, based on NCMEC reports and open-source research, led to the arrest of 8 suspects for allegedly storing and distributing obscene images of children and adults.
In total, 35 suspects with ₺3.6 billion in financial transactions were apprehended, and the operations resulted in the seizure of unlicensed firearms, numerous digital materials and large amounts of foreign currency and Turkish lira.
