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Turkish police carried out a large operation against an Istanbul-based gang allegedly selling houses to foreigners for citizenship purposes.
Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya said, “An organized crime group conducting ‘fictitious real estate sales’ for foreigners to obtain Turkish citizenship has been dismantled. 106 suspects have been apprehended.”
Yerlikaya noted that police apprehended 106 suspects in simultaneous operations carried out in 19 provinces across Türkiye, centered in Istanbul, against crimes including forming an organization to commit crimes, membership in such an organization, migrant smuggling, laundering of assets obtained through crime, qualified fraud, and forgery of official documents.
It was determined that the suspects, led by ringleader M.A. and acting in an organized manner, conducted fictitious real estate sales to 451 foreigners along with their families so that they could obtain Turkish citizenship.
The assets of the suspects were seized, including their holding company group, five different joint-stock companies, 1,240 apartments, 47 automobiles, 65 plots of land, and bank accounts.
According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, procedures have been immediately initiated for the cancellation of the citizenship of these foreigners.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, ''I congratulate our Governor, the Buyukcekmece Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, our Istanbul Provincial Police Chief, our Anti-Migrant Smuggling Department, MASAK staff, and our heroic police officers.”
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