Interior minister says over 2,000 fugitives held in nationwide ops
ANKARA
The interior minister has announced the successful capture of over 2,000 fugitives with search records in a series of nationwide operations spanning the last three days.
"We will never allow fugitive criminals to wander our streets. We did not and will not allow them to disturb the peace of our families," Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Nov. 22.
Of the 2,136 individuals apprehended, six had been wanted for more than a decade, 11 for between five and 10 years and a significant majority — 2,119 — were sought for offenses committed within the past five years.
The operations, executed by gendarmerie commands, police departments and coast guard commands, covered all 81 provinces and involved arrests on highways, at residences, workplaces and during identity checks.
Meanwhile, 39 police officers in Istanbul found themselves detained in a series of operations targeting corruption and bribery. The officers, primarily from the traffic police force, were suspended pending further investigation.
The crackdown was prompted by information suggesting that these officers were accepting bribes from high-tonnage excavation trucks, vehicles lacking proper documentation, minibuses and commercial vehicles.
A total of 46 officers, seven of whom were assigned to other provinces, were apprehended, with 39 stationed in Istanbul.
