Türkiye’s Interior Ministry announced that 137 of 327 suspects in anti-cybercrime operations across 22 provinces over the past five days have been arrested.
According to a statement by the ministry on Monday, operations targeting online child sexual abuse and exploitation, aggravated fraud and illegal betting were conducted by provincial police cybercrime units in coordination with the General Directorate of Security’s Cybercrime Department, the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) and chief public prosecutors’ offices.
A total of 327 suspects were apprehended in operations across 22 provinces.
Of the suspects, 137 were remanded in custody, while 75 were placed under judicial control. Procedures involving the remaining suspects are ongoing.
Investigations found that the suspects possessed child sexual abuse material and defrauded citizens through social media platforms and phishing websites using themes such as wheelchair assistance, investment partnerships and spare auto parts.
The suspects were also found to have organized illegal betting and gambling activities, facilitated money transfers on illegal betting websites, advertised illegal betting and gambling platforms and gained unauthorized access to citizens’ mobile banking and gaming accounts.
As part of artificial intelligence-assisted cyber open-source monitoring and control activities, authorities identified 936 accounts or individuals involved in content related to illegal arms sales and displays, organized crime groups and contract killings, drug sales and promotional content, obscenity and prostitution and traffic violations.
Authorities also identified 553 accounts or individuals in investigations targeting terrorist organizations.
Overall, authorities identified a total of 3,501 accounts or individuals suspected of sharing criminal content through social media platforms and websites. Access-blocking or content-removal orders were issued for 864 URLs.
