Serhat YILMAZ/KOCAALİ (Sakarya), (DHA)Created on: July 13, 2025 13:18
Video footage has emerged from a gendarmerie operation targeting a criminal syndicate accused of swindling 115 individuals out of approximately 150 million TL through fraudulent automotive sales in Sakarya and Istanbul. The raid’s details were publicly shared on social media by Sakarya Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Major General Nejdet Karaca, who posted the video with the caption, ‘The end of the movie.’
The criminal enterprise, an automotive company established in Karasu in 2021, operated by selling repossessed vehicles that were modified into VIP minibuses, caravans, or service vehicles. These sales were conducted using only proforma invoices, thereby bypassing official notary title transfers. Following the transactions, some customers were given older, more dilapidated vehicles than promised, while a significant number of buyers never received their vehicles at all. It was reported that the suspects lured victims by advertising these vehicles on internet sites at prices well below market value and projected a trustworthy image by showcasing them in front of their plaza in the Kocaali district of Sakarya.
Under the coordination of the Kocaali Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, units from the Sakarya Provincial Gendarmerie Command executed a series of simultaneous raids on July 8 at 06:30 AM. The operation involved 150 gendarmerie personnel and targeted 17 predetermined addresses in Sakarya and Istanbul, leading to the detention of 13 suspects. Searches of the premises resulted in the seizure of 21 commercial vehicles, 13 towable caravans, 27 mobile phones, 18 computers, and a large volume of financial documents. As part of the crackdown, the plaza that served as the criminal organization’s main base, housing two automotive firms, was sealed, and its operations were terminated.
An extensive review of the suspects’ financial records uncovered unusual monetary activity in their bank accounts, amounting to over 3 billion TL between 2021 and 2025. The investigation confirmed that the organization defrauded 115 people for a total of around 150 million TL. Consequently, assets valued at approximately 1.2 billion TL were confiscated, including 101 vehicles (29 passenger cars, 72 commercial), 13 towable caravans, 2 business plazas, and 31 real estate properties (villas, apartments, shops, and land), along with the freezing of their bank accounts.
After processing, the suspects were transferred to the courthouse for their arraignment. The court ordered the arrest of company owner Murat Y. along with R.Y., Y.D., N.Y., M.K., and Ş.D. Meanwhile, suspects S.D., B.Ü., B.G., N.B., M.D., Ö.Y., and M.D. were released subject to judicial control. Efforts are currently underway to apprehend the fugitive leader of the organization, Y.T.
Major General Nejdet Karaca, the Sakarya Provincial Gendarmerie Commander, brought the operation to public attention by posting footage from the raids on his social media account with the definitive note, ‘The end of the movie.’ The shared video clips depicted the gendarmerie teams carrying out the early morning raids and subsequent search activities.
The investigation into the matter is ongoing. (DHA)