Police on Monday detained two fugitives wanted as part of an investigation into the alleged Alihan Kuriş criminal organization as they were preparing to flee the country, authorities said, as a separate branch of the widening probe revisited the suspicious 2016 death of former religious community leader Ahmet Arif Denizolgun.
Hilmi Tuna Kuriş and Erhan Yılmaz, who were wanted by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, were located in the Bozburun area of the southwestern resort town of Marmaris, according to information obtained from security sources.
Police determined that the two suspects were allegedly planning to leave Türkiye by sea. Acting on intelligence provided by Istanbul police, officers in Muğla raided the address and detained the suspects on accusations of membership in a criminal organization.
Police seized 58,000 euros (nearly $68,000) during a search of their vehicle.
Authorities had previously seized 206 kilograms of gold and a large amount of foreign currency during a search of a warehouse at a business center housing a company where Hilmi Tuna Kuriş had served for years as a board member.
The Ankara prosecutors’ investigation led to simultaneous operations across 17 provinces on Aug. 13. Thirty of 49 suspects were detained, including alleged organization leader Alihan Kuriş, who was later arrested along with several other suspects.
The suspects face accusations including establishing and leading a criminal organization, membership in a criminal organization, laundering proceeds of crime, fraud against public institutions and violations of Türkiye’s tax laws.
Alihan Kuriş, the de facto leader of a group known publicly as “Süleymancılar,” was arrested last week along with other suspects.
The group originated as a religious movement named after 20th-century Islamic scholar Süleyman Hilmi Tunahan, Kuriş’ great-grandfather.
Initially operating through informal religious instruction in homes and mosques, the group later expanded across Türkiye through Quran courses and student dormitories, largely financed by membership contributions and donations. Over time, its activities expanded into commercial sectors including food, health care, tourism, textiles, construction and real estate.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have reopened an investigation into the 2016 death of Ahmet Arif Denizolgun, a former leader of the Süleymancılar religious community and former Transport Minister, as part of the broader investigation surrounding Kuriş.
The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said it had ordered Denizolgun’s body exhumed to allow forensic experts to reassess his cause of death following allegations questioning both his death and the original autopsy.
The case was transferred from prosecutors in Beykoz to Bakırköy as part of the investigation.
Investigators are also examining witness testimony concerning the circumstances surrounding Denizolgun’s death and records from the original forensic examination.
Prosecutors sought information from the Forensic Medicine Institute (ATK) this year about photographs and video recordings from the 2016 autopsy. The institute ultimately informed prosecutors in July that no video recording of Denizolgun’s autopsy existed, according to correspondence cited in the investigation.
The probe is also examining claims concerning the original autopsy and toxicology findings. Investigators are expected to use the new forensic examination following the exhumation to determine whether previously identified substances have any relevance to Denizolgun’s cause of death.
