12punto.com.tr / Müslim Sarıyar
Social media influencers Bahar Candan and Nihal Candan have been detained on charges of 'money laundering.' It has emerged that the history of this investigation dates back to an operation conducted in 2020.
Teams from the Public Security Branch Office's Fraud Bureau launched an investigation following tips received in 2020. The first phase of the operation was carried out by police teams on June 21, 2020, against a gang led by Eren K., who defrauded many people in Istanbul with the lie, "We are bringing seized vehicles from customs and selling them at half price."
It was alleged that the gang used the money they obtained to engage in livestock farming in Tokat. During the operation, 275 cattle and 473 sheep and goats were seized. While 24 people were detained, it was noted that the scale of the gang's fraud amounted to 90 million Turkish Lira.
It was revealed that there were 29 complainants in the case.
PLACED UNDER SURVEILLANCE IN 2023
The investigation file did not close after the incident in which 24 people were arrested. Following chain investigations, another network, allegedly a continuation of the gang and led by Onur A., began to be monitored in 2023.
According to the information obtained, it was determined that the suspects gained trust by pretending to buy vehicles cheaply from state institutions through tenders and selling these cheap vehicles to people they lured into their trap, collecting money by taking vehicle requests through this method. It was determined that the suspects, who collected approximately 10 million Turkish Lira from 13 people, did not deliver the vehicles and did not provide refunds to the victims, claiming there were problems with the tender.
In an operation conducted on May 3, 2023, 6 people, including Onur A., were detained. 5 people were arrested in this operation.
USED IN PROMOTIONS
Following the arrest of the suspects in the second phase of the investigation, the probe continued under the instruction of the Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
The Fraud Bureau teams reached the details of the fraud method used by the arrested Onur A. during their work. According to the information obtained by the police, Onur A. hosted the complainants he invited to trap them at luxury restaurants and promoted the vehicles he supposedly intended to sell.
13 PEOPLE BECAME VICTIMS
It is alleged that he used his friends, Bahar Candan and Nihal Candan, in these promotions. He received money from many people who wanted to buy vehicles during these presentations. In exchange for the money he received, he later did not deliver the supposedly sold vehicles. 13 people were victimized in this incident. It is alleged that the network carried out a 10 million TL fraud using this method.
THEY WERE DETAINED
Following this information, the third phase of the operation was carried out under the instruction of the Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Within the scope of the investigation, Nihal Candan and Bahar Candan were detained in Istanbul, and Hacı İsrafi Sağlam was detained in Kars.
On the other hand, the influencer sisters Bahar Candan and Nihal Candan, who were detained on charges of 'money laundering,' were taken to the Public Security Branch Office after a medical check-up.
News Source : 12punto
