Extortion gang that shot up businesses in Istanbul dismantled: WhatsApp messages gave them away
In an operation launched following an armed attack on a liquor store in Istanbul's Fatih district, the gang's WhatsApp messages were seized and 6 suspects were detained.
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In the incident that took place on the morning of Tuesday, February 25, in Fatih's Katip Kasım neighborhood, shots were fired at a liquor store from a car. While the attackers fled quickly, the police launched a large-scale investigation following the incident.
Police teams identified the suspects by examining hundreds of hours of security camera footage. The suspects were tracked to the house where they were hiding, and an operation was carried out. A total of 6 people, 5 of whom were minors, were detained in the operation, and 3 unlicensed pistols were seized.
On a mobile phone found during the search of the house, footage of the moment of the attack and the suspects' WhatsApp messages were discovered. The footage showed the moments when a suspect fired at the business from the vehicle and then they fled.
In the WhatsApp messages, it was determined that the attack was planned and a message was sent under a photo of the business saying, 'If you fire 3-4 shots at the shop on the left, that's enough'. The suspects replied to this message saying, 'Everything is ready, you will give 3 thousand Euros in cash, and you will send the rest after we send the video'.
One of the captured suspects, M.G., was referred to the Public Security Branch Directorate, and the other 5 suspects were referred to the Juvenile Branch Directorate. All suspects were arrested and sent to prison. With this operation, the extortion gang operating in Istanbul has been dismantled.