A total of 50 businessmen, housewives and police officers were detained as part of ongoing operations on Monday targeting followers of the faith-based Gülen movement due to their use of a smart phone application known as ByLock.
The operations, which were based in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, were conducted across six provinces, including İstanbul, Gaziantep, Mersin, Osmaniye and Sakarya.
Turkish authorities believe ByLock is a communication tool between members of the Gülen movement, which the Turkish authorities accuse of being behind the failed coup attempt last July.
Tens of thousands of civil servants, police officers and businessmen have either been dismissed or arrested for using ByLock since the failed coup attempt last July.
Some of the detainees were reportedly dismissed by recent decrees issued by the Turkish government in the aftermath of the coup attempt. (Turkey Purge)