64-kilogram gold fraud in Kuyumcukent: Detention warrants issued for 35 suspects
In an operation conducted across 3 provinces centered in Istanbul, it was alleged that jewelry collected from jewelers was melted down and converted into pure gold.
12punto
As part of an investigation conducted by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office Organized Crime Investigation Bureau, an operation was carried out against a fraud network alleged to have targeted jewelers operating in Kuyumcukent.
Following the work of the Istanbul Provincial Police Department's Public Security Branch, simultaneous raids were conducted on 48 addresses identified in Istanbul, Ankara, and Kocaeli. Within the scope of the operation, detention, search, and seizure warrants were executed for 35 suspects.
It was learned that the investigation was initiated upon the complaints of officials from 16 separate companies in Kuyumcukent. According to findings in the case file, the suspects, who allegedly acted under the leadership of O.K. and H.K., collected jewelry with craftsmanship from jewelers through businesses established in the names of third parties.
It was claimed that the suspects took products such as bracelets, necklaces, and wedding rings under the pretext of "selling them in Anatolia," but instead of putting these products on the market in their original form, they melted them down in workshops and converted them into pure gold. The investigation alleges that this method caused a total loss equivalent to 64 kilograms of pure gold.
According to the allegations, the suspects made small payments in the initial stages to build trust, and in this way, gradually increased their debt limits with the victimized companies. It was then claimed that they stopped making payments by telling the jewelers that they had "gone bankrupt."
In the operation targeting the suspects, who are being processed for the crimes of "establishing, managing, and being a member of an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," "qualified fraud," and "laundering assets obtained from crime," searches were conducted in 45 residences and 3 workplaces.
It was reported that within the scope of the investigation, the suspects' bank and electronic money accounts, rights and receivables, 18 vehicles, and 13 real estate properties were seized by court order.