03.04.2026 14:32
A gang of 10 people that stole hundreds of thousands of lira worth of electronic goods sent by cargo in Istanbul has been dismantled.
A 10-person gang that stole hundreds of thousands of lira worth of electronic goods sent by cargo in Istanbul has been dismantled. After approximately 3 months of technical and physical surveillance, a large number of electronic items stolen by the suspects were seized. It was determined that the suspects contacted people who wanted to sell items online in various provinces of Anatolia as customers, claiming they would buy the items and asking them to send them to someone they knew in Istanbul to see them. The suspects, who learned the cargo tracking number and the phone number of the person to whom the item would be sent from the victim, were found to have called that person pretending to be a cargo employee, learned the delivery code, and stole the incoming cargo from the cargo branch before it was dispatched. Five members of the gang had previously been caught and arrested in interim operations.
Investigations were initiated after victims who reported that the electronic goods they were trying to sell online in Istanbul were stolen during cargo delivery filed complaints. The Public Order Branch Directorate reached security camera footage showing the suspects receiving cargo from cargo centers during the operations conducted by the Fraud Bureau.
POLICE UNCOVERED THE SUSPECTS' PLAN
During the investigations, it was determined that the suspects contacted individuals trying to sell items such as cameras, computers, and valuable watches through advertisements they posted online as customers from various provinces of Anatolia. After talking to the victims for a while and gaining their trust, the suspects later proposed, 'I have decided to buy. However, I cannot send you the money without seeing the item; I cannot trust you. Therefore, send the item to someone you know and trust in Istanbul. I will go to see the item with them. I will send you the money and take the item.'
THEY STOLE ITEMS FROM CARGO BRANCHES
It was determined that the victims who believed the suspects' offer sent the items they intended to sell to someone they trusted living in Istanbul. During this time, it was found that the suspects obtained the cargo tracking number and the phone number of the person to whom the item was sent from the victim. When the cargo arrived at the branch in Istanbul, the suspects, who called these individuals pretending to be cargo employees, learned the cargo tracking number and received the product as if they had it, then disappeared.
5 SUSPECTS HAD BEEN ARRESTED PREVIOUSLY
After approximately 3 months of technical and physical surveillance, the police captured 5 suspects in interim operations. These individuals were arrested and sent to prison after being brought to court.
10 MORE PEOPLE WERE CAUGHT
Fraud Bureau teams conducted operations early the day before yesterday at the addresses of gang members identified in Istanbul and Çanakkale. In the operation, 10 suspects who were members of the cargo gang were taken into custody. During searches conducted at their homes, stolen items worth hundreds of thousands of lira, such as cameras, lenses, computers, and valuable watches, were seized.
60 ACTIONS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED
Fraud Bureau teams stated that 60 actions of the cargo gang have been identified so far. It was revealed that Murat Ş., one of the suspects, had a criminal record for 94 fraud offenses, Haydar Ş. for 65, and Güner K. for 50. While the suspects whose police procedures were completed were referred to the courthouse, it was learned that the processes for returning the seized electronic goods to their owners were ongoing.