The Turkish authorities reported this Saturday the detention of more than 200 people from around twenty nationalities as part of a wide operation in Istanbul against an alleged international fraud scheme in currency investments related to Israel, whose volume is estimated at more than 26 million euros.
The police deployment in the city has resulted in the detention of 201 suspects, including eleven Pakistani citizens, nine Israelis, and another 25 people from 20 different countries: Azerbaijan, Syria, Jordan, Ukraine, Thailand, Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Iran, China, Lebanon, Palestine, Mexico, Egypt, Mozambique, Argentina, and Bangladesh, according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu.
During the searches, the security forces seized assets attributed to the detainees worth 1.5 billion Turkish liras (26.7 million euros), including 80 vehicles and twelve properties, which the authorities consider to be derived from illicit activities.
In addition, their bank accounts, cryptocurrency assets, and companies in their name have been blocked, following a coordinated operation involving the Ministry of the Interior, the National Intelligence Agency (MIT), the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office, the local Police, and the organization Interpol.
The detainees are accused of their alleged involvement in a currency scam structure that operated through 25 companies and 40 supposed call centers and financial offices.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that it was notified by the Turkish authorities of the arrest of its nationals and has stated that it is already "working to ensure that the rights of Israeli citizens are protected," reports the 'Times of Israel'.