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Ankara's Etimesgut Mayor Erdal Besikcioglu, a well-known actor turned politician, was detained on Thursday in a corruption operation targeting the municipality.
The Ankara West Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched the investigation into alleged corruption at Etimesgut Municipality, ordering simultaneous operations against 55 suspects, including Besikcioglu.
Teams from the Ankara Provincial Police Department carried out coordinated searches across the capital early Thursday, moving in on residences and other locations linked to the suspects.
Police detained 52 people during the raids, while efforts to locate the remaining suspects continue, according to prosecutors.
Investigators are conducting search-and-seizure operations at 56 homes, 15 workplaces, and 41 vehicles as part of the probe. Authorities have not yet disclosed the specific allegations underlying the corruption investigation or identified the roles of the other suspects.
Besikcioglu, one of Türkiye's best-known actors, rose to national prominence with his lead role in the crime drama "Behzat C.: An Ankara Detective Story." He later appeared in numerous television series and films before being elected mayor of Etimesgut as the Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate in the 2024 local elections.
The latest operation follows an earlier investigation into Etimesgut Municipality in March, when prosecutors detained four municipal employees over alleged embezzlement tied to irregularities uncovered during Court of Accounts audits of the municipality and its subsidiary.
It also comes a day after prosecutors launched a separate corruption investigation into Istanbul's Uskudar Municipality, detaining Mayor Sinem Dedetas and five other suspects over allegations of bribery and irregularities in building permit and occupancy license procedures.
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