Minister: Türkiye launches massive operation against cybercriminals across 25 provinces

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced that the authorities targeted individuals wanted for cybercrimes in a large-scale operation conducted across 25 provinces.

“The operation, which was coordinated by Turkish law enforcement agencies, led to the detention of 76 suspects involved in various illegal online activities. The suspects were arrested on multiple charges, including illegal betting, aggravated fraud, online indecent behaviour, and the harassment of children on the internet,” Caliber.Az reports, citing the minister’s message on X.

8 il merkezli “Yasa Dışı Bahis, Nitelikli Dolandırıcılık, Nitelikli Hırsızlık, Çevrimiçi Çocuk Müstehcenliği ve Tacizi” gibi Siber Suç ve suçlulara yönelik gerçekleştirdiğimiz operasyonlarda; 76 şüpheli yakalandı.❗️

Cumhuriyet Başsavcılıkları ile Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü Siber… pic.twitter.com/G4PxzY6VeT

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) March 12, 2025

As part of the operation, authorities seized a significant volume of digital materials, which are expected to aid in ongoing investigations. 

Earlier, Yerlikaya said that in a sweeping crackdown across 28 provinces, Turkish authorities launched an operation targeting individuals involved in cyber crimes.

“During the operation, 103 members of the organised crime group were detained, suspected of illegal betting, fraud, distribution of child pornography on the Internet, crimes in the field of payment systems and information technology,” Yerlikaya wrote.

In addition to the arrests, authorities seized significant assets. The operation led to the confiscation of 13 vehicles, three villas, three companies, and two hotels owned by businesses based in Istanbul and Aydın. 

Moreover, bank accounts and accounts of crypto asset service providers were frozen, amounting to approximately $7.5 million. Officials also reported the seizure of unregistered weapons, various amounts of foreign currencies and Turkish lira, as well as a substantial quantity of digital materials. 

By Naila Huseynova