At least 275 people have been detained in the past day over alleged links to the Gülen movement, according to the Turkish media.
The Turkish government accuses the movement of masterminding a July 15, 2016 coup attempt, although the movement denies any involvement.
In Hatay, 33 people including former civil servants who were dismissed from their jobs were detained for having used the ByLock mobile app. Turkish authorities claim that ByLock was once one of the top communication tools among Gülen followers.
Meanwhile, 114 others were rounded up as part of an Izmir-based investigation into the movement that expanded to Mugla, Istanbul and Aydin provinces.
Among the accusations leveled against the detainees were to have raised money for Turkey’s post-coup victims, both relatives of those earlier arrested or people dismissed from their jobs.
Another 45 were taken into custody in Adana. The detainees included housewives and public servants fired from their jobs.
In a separate investigation, the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office issued detention warrants for 81 people in 13 provinces. Police were able to locate 31 of the suspects by Tuesday afternoon.
The remaining 52 were detained in police operations in various provinces, according to reports in the Turkish media. (Turkey Purge)