16.02.2026 01:30
The number of suspects detained in connection with the claim that 30 million dollars was stolen from 2 vehicles in the site parking lot in Bakırköy has risen to 11.
Under the coordination of the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, an investigation is ongoing following a tip-off that a large amount of money was stolen from two parked vehicles in the parking lot of the site located on Ekşi Nar Street in Şenlikköy neighborhood by teams from the Istanbul Police Department on February 11.
NUMBER OF ARRESTS RISES TO 11
In this context, teams from the Theft and Pickpocketing Bureau of the Public Order Branch Directorate have detained 4 more suspects. Thus, the number of suspects in custody has risen to 11, while the processing of the suspects at the police station continues.
7 SUSPECTS HAD BEEN CAPTURED
The teams from the Istanbul Police Department had initiated work following a tip-off that a large amount of money was stolen from two parked vehicles in the parking lot of the site located on Ekşi Nar Street in Şenlikköy neighborhood on February 11.
Bilal Durmaz, who was questioned as a "victim," stated that he had kept 30 million dollars in two vehicles parked in the parking lot of the site he lived in for three months because he closed his currency exchange office in Tahtakale.
Security camera footage from the parking lot revealed that the suspects arriving in a car were seen carrying packages from the parked vehicle to their own vehicles.
Teams examining the routes of the suspects' arrivals and departures from the surrounding security camera footage identified some suspects who were evaluated to have committed the theft and to be connected to the incident.
In simultaneous operations conducted by the police in Istanbul, Antalya, and Kocaeli, 7 suspects were captured.
During searches at the suspects' addresses, 1 million 670 thousand 500 dollars, 13 thousand 200 lira, 860 drug pills, 2 unlicensed pistols, and 1 blank-firing pistol were seized.
"DEPOSITING MONEY IN THE BANK AND WITHDRAWING IT IS TROUBLESOME FOR ME"
Meanwhile, Bilal Durmaz, who gave a statement as a "victim" at the police station, was asked why he kept such a large amount of money in an insecure place and did not deposit it in the bank.
Durmaz replied, "Due to the nature of my work, depositing money in the bank and withdrawing it is troublesome for me, that's why I was carrying the money in the vehicle. This money had been sitting there for 3 months as I had not needed it at all. My company's capital will be 40 million lira in 2025. My lawyer will present the turnover in the file."
Victim Bilal Durmaz, in his statement given with two lawyers, also mentioned that he moved from his old address in Laleli to the Mestur currency exchange office located in Tahtakale Trade Center about 3 months ago.
Stating that he operates under the name Mestur Currency Gold Limited Liability Company and that he is the sole owner of the company, Durmaz said, "I do not clearly remember how much turnover the currency exchange office made. I have been doing the same job for about 3 years. With my move to the new address, I brought the 30 million USD cash from the currency exchange office to my residence (all the dollars were in 100 USD banknotes). For the last 3 months, I have kept the money in vehicles with license plates 34 EOS 86 Ford Ranger and 34 BJK 747 Audi A6, and the money was in equal halves."
THE VICTIM'S FATHER ARRESTED ON "MONEY LAUNDERING" CHARGES
Moreover, it was revealed that Bilal Durmaz, the victim, is the son of Atilla Durmaz, the owner of a firm named Taç Döviz, who was arrested on charges of "money laundering."
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office had launched an investigation against this firm and its officials in Laleli for "preventing the financing of terrorism," "establishing an organization for the purpose of committing a crime," "usury," "laundering the proceeds of crime," and "violating Article 28 of Law No. 6493 on Payment and Securities Settlement Systems, Payment Services, and Electronic Money Institutions."
Within the scope of the investigation, it was determined that 60 suspects had monopolized money transactions with some countries, primarily Libya, through various payment systems, according to MASAK and BDDK reports, secret witness statements, account movements, camera recordings, and other evidence.
It was established that the suspects, who used foreign bank cards obtained through illegal means for fictitious transactions at POS devices, generated over 1 billion 300 million lira in criminal income as a result of more than 47 billion lira in transaction volume, and it was attempted to create the impression that the proceeds of crime were obtained within the scope of commercial activity through invoicing and recording in legal books.
On October 14, 2025, an operation was conducted to capture 60 suspects for whom detention orders had been issued, and 48 suspects were taken into custody. After their processing at the police station, 33 of the suspects were arrested, and judicial control measures were applied to 15 of them when they were referred to the Istanbul Courthouse on October 17.
Upon the prosecutor's request, the peace criminal court also decided to seize 255 real estates, 60 vehicles, 24 company partnership shares, and the suspects' bank accounts and crypto assets.
"IMAMOĞLU INCLUDED IN THE INDICTMENT OF ORGANIZED CRIME"
In the indictment prepared within the scope of the investigation into the "Imamoğlu organized crime group," it was stated that the suspects, owners of the firm Taç Döviz (Durmaz Gold), had been involved in "money laundering" activities through international money transfer systems since 2018 and that they had been found to be holding the money of many different criminal groups as custodians.
The indictment recalled that during the operation, a search was conducted in a shop connected to the firm located on the minus first floor of the business center where the firm operates, which had no sign, and a total of 46 million 24 thousand 895 lira, 47 million 814 thousand 700 dollars, 52 million 118 thousand 30 euros, 40 gold bars, and 150 kilograms of silver were seized.
It was noted in the indictment that the seized items did not match the company's declared commercial records in any way, and it was also recorded that the total transaction volume reported by Taç Döviz in the last three years did not even reach 5% of the identified cash assets.
In the indictment, it was stated that although Mehmet Ş. D., an official of Taç Döviz, claimed in his statement that the money was "customer deposits" and that the company provided "precious metal storage services," he did not present any record of who these deposits belonged to, nor any invoice or receipt documenting the ownership of the gold.
The indictment expressed that in this context, an investigation was conducted into the connection between the suspects used by the organized crime group established by Ekrem İmamoğlu for money transfers and the officials of Taç Döviz, and the following determinations were made:
"It has been understood that Taç Döviz is the custodian of the organization, and it has been determined that the organization distributed the money obtained from this currency exchange office during the CHP Congress process. It has been understood that the money seized during the investigation, which was not claimed by the company officials, belongs to the organized crime group established by Ekrem İmamoğlu."
The organization was found to hold real estate obtained from criminal proceeds in the companies of organization leaders Murat Gülibrahimoğlu and Adem Soytekin, while a portion of the criminal proceeds was kept in a currency exchange office referred to as a custodian for quick access when needed. It can be seen from the entire investigation file, and particularly in a note dated December 2024 that is believed to have come from the phone of organization member Necati Özkan, that the organization was preparing for an operation to be conducted by our Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. In this context, the organization expanded its confidentiality rules, did not contact the currency exchange offices it used as custodians, and met its cash needs through motor couriers.