In an operation against forgery of official documents in Istanbul's Fatih district, 15 people, including 6 Iraqi and one Iranian citizen, were detained for allegedly preparing fake IDs, passports, and visa documents for illegal migrants.
Teams from the Istanbul Police Department's Anti-Migrant Smuggling and Border Gates Branch launched the operation following a tip-off regarding the crime of "forgery of official documents."
'THERE ARE IRAQI AND IRANIAN NATIONALS AMONG THE ARRESTED'
Expanding the operation as a result of investigations following the tip-off, the teams detained the network preparing fake documents for migrants.
In the simultaneous operations, 15 suspects named Murat İ, Bilal S, Fikret B, Masood M.Y.Y, Ali S, Amanj H.K.K, Saadi R, Hazni A, Halis E, Saylan E, Yusuf A, Kamil D, Rebwar A.M.M, Tahsın M.A.A., and Raja M. were apprehended.
'489 FAKE VISAS SEIZED'
During the operations, 1,743 ready-to-print fake ID cards, 1,489 fake visa stickers, 196 fake passports belonging to EU countries, 68 silicone seals used in forgery, 12 silicone seal molds belonging to different countries, 10 fake driver's licenses belonging to EU countries, 9 ink pads used in forgery, 8 blank cards each with a chip, 5 UV devices, a laser marking and engraving machine, and a laptop were seized as a result of the teams' work.
Of the suspects taken to the police station, 7 were arrested, while 8 people were released with judicial control measures and a travel ban.
News Source: 12punto
