Two police officers have been arrested for allegedly stealing money during a pat down of a man of Iranian origin in İstanbul in December, the Sözcü newspaper reported on Thursday.
The man, identified as H.A. a night watchman, was reportedly stopped by the two police officers in İstanbul’s Kartal district on Dec. 30 who wanted to pat him down. H.A. claimed that the police officers stole TL 2,900 during the search, a situation he noticed later.
The police officers, Y.D. (25) and M.A. (37), were detained on Feb. 7 following a criminal complaint filed by H.A. They were subsequently arrested on the grounds that they could destroy evidence or flee.
Before and after a failed coup attempt in July 2016, the Turkish government removed thousands of police officers from their posts on accusations that they were linked to the Gülen movement.
The Turkish government accuses the movement of masterminding the failed putsch, although the movement strongly denies any involvement.
News about police officers becoming involved in crime have become frequent in Turkey, where the police force is claimed to be filled by the cronies of the Turkish president.