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Türkiye’s Ministry of Interior has launched extensive operations to dismantle organized criminal rings accused of altering vehicle identities to defraud citizens. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that Ankara-based raids conducted across ten provinces led to the detention of 35 suspects. The operations were coordinated by the General Directorate of Security’s Public Order Department and public prosecutors, following detailed investigations by provincial police units. In Türkiye, “vehicle change” is a police term for a car whose identity has allegedly been altered—typically by swapping core identifiers—to deceive buyers and authorities.
According to Yerlikaya, 10 of the 35 were arrested while judicial procedures for the others are ongoing.
He added that last week’s actions were part of a wider push against “vehicle change” crime rings operating in multiple regions.
Yerlikaya stated that in the first nine months of 2025, operations in 19 provinces identified 407 suspects tied to schemes that allegedly victimized 495 citizens.
Of those suspects, 160 were arrested and 104 were placed under judicial control measures.
He shared that suspects caught in Afyonkarahisar, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Balikesir, Corum, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Mersin, Samsun, Sanliurfa and Tokat were found to have “changed” 495 vehicles of various makes and models, leading to consumer losses across the map.
Yerlikaya said the rings that “victimize our citizens” have been dealt a heavy blow and emphasized ongoing surveillance: “We are on their heels at every moment. Our fight will continue decisively,” he said, while congratulating teams involved.
In Türkiye, authorities use the term to describe a vehicle whose identity has allegedly been altered—such as by manipulating key identifiers—to mislead authorities and buyers. It is commonly linked to organized schemes that aim to pass off a different or illicitly rebuilt car as genuine.
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