Second wave hit rental IBAN network in İzmir: 2 detentions, 500 million TRY liquidity

In İzmir's Bayındır district, operations against the organized crime organization established to launder money from illegal gambling sites and using rental IBANs have gained a new dimension. As a result of the coordinated work of the Bayındır District Gendarmerie Command and the Provincial Gendarmerie Cyber Crime Branch teams, a second wave operation was carried out to decipher the financial network of the network in question. Within the scope of this operation, 3 more suspects, who were determined to be operating in different ranks of the organization, were caught and detained. After the completion of the interrogation procedures at the gendarmerie, the suspects were examined at the judicial authorities they were referred to with a request for detention. As a result of the trial, 2 suspects were detained and sent to prison by the judge, while the other suspect was released under judicial control conditions.

The technical follow-up and physical search works of the gendarmerie teams revealed the dimensions of the network's financial structure in a surprising way. In the examinations carried out, it was determined that a transaction volume of 500 million TL was carried out in just one month through the suspicious accounts examined in the first phase of the operation. It was determined that the crime organization transferred the income they obtained illegally to the accounts they rented from third parties in exchange for a commission, in order to give a legal appearance and erase their tracks. It was reflected in the reports that millions of lira collected by this method were cleaned (laundered) through illegal means by being frequently transferred between different accounts. The digital and physical evidence obtained revealed in detail how the organization managed the financing of financial crimes by acting like a corporate structure.

With the deepening of the investigation, a significant increase was experienced in the number of detained suspects, and the total number rose to 5. It will be recalled that in the first leg of the investigation, an operation was carried out and 3 suspects, who were detained on charges of laundering crime revenues and managing IBAN rental activities, were arrested and sent to prison. With the recent second wave raids, this number doubled, reaching a total of 5 detainees. The investigation, which is carried out under the coordination of the Bayındır Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and covers a wide framework, aims to reach the financial resources of the network. In the planning made, studies are continuing to determine the real owners of the rented accounts and to determine who or which institution the money ultimately reaches.

Gendarmerie teams are working intensively to decipher not only the account renters involved in the incident, but also the high-level managers who are the organizers of this system. The examinations of cyber crime units on digital materials and detailed analysis of bank records are meticulously continuing. Examining the money transfer methods of the network and the communication channels used is of great importance in order to dry up the resources that feed the organization. The examination of the technological infrastructure used and the software developed provides critical data to prevent the future activities of the crime organization. Technical surveillance focuses on determining how the organization puts the money into circulation and who approves these transactions.

According to the details of the news, intelligence was obtained that the activities of the network in question might not be limited to a local dimension but also be linked to international money traffic. Police and gendarmerie units have started to take the necessary financial measures to prevent these money from being taken abroad or converted into different investment instruments. The legal process may turn into new evidence and clues for the capture of other members of the organization if the detained suspects cooperate. The prosecutor's office will prepare the indictment after completing the evidence and start the trial process. These operations create a deterrent force against other networks engaged in similar criminal activities.