17.10.2026 20:30
In an operation centered in Siirt across 8 provinces targeting illegal betting and virtual gambling sites, 22 suspects were detained. It was determined that sites blocked by BTK were reopened by adding letters or numbers to their domain names. In the bank and crypto accounts of 30 people examined, a transaction volume of approximately 1.5 billion lira was found.
In an operation targeting the allegation that criminal proceeds were collected through illegal betting and virtual gambling websites in 8 provinces centered on SİİRT, 22 suspects were detained. It was determined that the bank and cryptocurrency accounts of 30 individuals under examination had a transaction volume of 1 billion 498 million 377 thousand 676 lira 96 kuruş.
BLOCKED SITES WERE REOPENED LIKE THIS
Under the coordination of the Siirt Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and the Department of Combating Cyber Crimes of the General Directorate of Security, a study was initiated by teams from the Cyber Crimes Combating Branch Directorate of the Siirt Provincial Security Directorate. In the studies, it was determined that illegal betting and virtual gambling websites blocked from access by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) were reopened to access by preserving the roots of their domain names and adding letters, numbers, and similar characters to the beginning or end. It was determined that criminal proceeds were collected through bank accounts via these sites.
SIMULTANEOUS RAIDS IN 8 PROVINCES
After examining the bank and cryptocurrency accounts of 30 people with residence records in Siirt, simultaneous operations were carried out on October 17 in Mersin, Batman, Bitlis, Yalova, Muğla, Kocaeli, and Istanbul, centered on Siirt, to capture the suspects. 22 suspects were detained in the operation. During searches at the suspects' addresses and on their persons, 23 mobile phones and 20 SIM cards were seized.
The suspects' procedures at the police station are ongoing.