Turkey police detain 39 in nationwide fake‑appraisal credit‑fraud raid

The Bakırköy Republican Prosecutor’s Office, through its Organized Crime Investigation Unit, coordinated simultaneous operations in 16 Turkish provinces—including Istanbul, Kocaeli, Gaziantep, Yalova, Sakarya, Mardin, Bursa, Karabük, Manisa, Diyarbakır, Ankara, Elazığ, Erzurum, Aksaray, İzmir and Iğdır. Police seized 39 suspects (some reports list 27) accused of running an organized scheme that obtained vehicle‑loan financing by presenting falsified expert appraisal reports for heavily damaged, crashed, earthquake‑impacted or burned cars.

Investigators determined that the group purchased such wrecked vehicles, commissioned counterfeit appraisal documents that depicted the cars as intact, and then secured loans from banks and other financial institutions. The loans were never repaid, causing losses to the lenders. Charges filed include organized crime, membership in a criminal organization, qualified fraud and forgery of official documents. The suspects remain in custody pending further judicial proceedings.