Turkish courts have ordered the arrest of 68 people following nationwide cybercrime operations that targeted illegal betting networks, online child exploitation and large-scale fraud schemes, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Tuesday.
A total of 204 suspects were detained across 24 provinces in the five-day operation, with 30 released under judicial supervision while the interrogation of the others continues, the minister said in a statement on X on Tuesday.
The suspects are accused of running illegal betting platforms, facilitating money transfers for betting sites, promoting the networks, possessing or sharing child abuse material and using phishing websites and social media accounts to defraud people by posing as public officials or advertising products, services or low-interest loans.
“Siber Suçlarla Mücadele kapsamında son 5 gündür Polislerimiz tarafından düzenlenen operasyonlarımızda 204 şüpheliyi yakaladık.”
Bu kişiler aracılığıyla işlenebilecek yasa dışı bahis, çocuk müstehcenliği, dolandırıcılık gibi siber suçlardan vatandaşlarımızın maddi ve manevi… pic.twitter.com/nMyglBO1fq
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) December 9, 2025
The operations were carried out by the cybercrime department of the Security Directorate General in coordination with the Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK).
Crackdown expands
The latest arrests come amid a broader crackdown on illegal betting in Turkey, with high-profile investigations targeting financial institutions and digital platforms accused of enabling illegal activity in the country’s expanding fintech and online gaming sectors.
On Monday an İstanbul court ordered the arrest of 20 people including 11 footballers from Turkey’s first and second divisions, nine of whom are accused of betting on their own teams’ matches.
Separately, the İstanbul-based electronic money and payment services company Papara, one of Turkey’s most widely used payment platforms, is also being investigated over allegations that it was used to facilitate illegal betting transactions.
The probe ultimately led to the arrest of 11 people, including the company’s founder and CEO, Ahmed Faruk Karslı.