Ayhan Bora Kaplan

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced an intensified crackdown on major criminal organizations during a recent series of briefings, emphasizing the scope of the operations.

Seven suspects, including two senior police chiefs and a commissioner, have been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into a criminal organization in the capital Ankara.

The arrests stem from allegations made by Serdar Sertçelik, a fugitive defendant connected to a criminal organization led by Ayhan Bora Kaplan.

In an ongoing probe into potential ties between Ankara police and a criminal syndicate, authorities have expanded their investigation with the detention of four additional suspects, three of whom are police officers.

The latest development comes after the suspension of four officers in connection with the case.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pledged resolute action against any form of "bureaucratic tutelage" as an investigation unfolds into a purported criminal network entangling police officials.

"We are following every incident that has come to the agenda recently, in all its dimensions, down to the smallest detail," Erdoğan said during a parliamentary meeting on May 15.