Papara Founder Arrested in Turkey Amid Illegal Gambling Investigation
Turkish authorities have arrested Ahmet Faruk Karsli, the founder of the payment service Papara, along with twelve other individuals. The arrests are the result of an extensive investigation into illegal gambling activities allegedly involving Papara.
Multiple raids were conducted in Istanbul around 5:00 AM on Tuesday, leading to the arrest of thirteen people. During the raids, assets worth five billion Turkish Lira, approximately €113 million, were seized. Ahmet Faruk Karsli, the founder of Papara, was among those arrested.
Ali Yerlikaya, the Turkish Minister of Interior, announced on social media that Karsli is accused of establishing a criminal organization involved in illegal gambling and money laundering.
The investigation into Papara and the illegal gambling operation was carried out by the Cybercrime Department of the Istanbul Provincial Police, under the coordination of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Cybercrime Department of the General Directorate of Security.
Illegal Gambling via Papara
According to Minister Yerlikaya, the investigation revealed that criminals used Papara accounts to move illicit funds and finance illegal gambling activities.
The investigation also uncovered that illegal bets were placed through Papara accounts belonging to 26,012 individuals, with transactions totaling 12.9 billion Turkish Lira, equivalent to approximately €300 million. These funds were then transferred to 274 different accounts.
Investigators found that these accounts subsequently transferred the money to cryptocurrency wallets belonging to five individuals connected to four different illegal gambling sites.
Minister Yerlikaya commended the authorities for their successful investigation:
“I congratulate our Governor of Istanbul, our Chief Public Prosecutor of Istanbul who coordinated the operations, our Chief of the Provincial Police of Istanbul who carried out the operations, our heroic police officers, and our MASAK employees. Illegal betting is a crime that threatens not only the future of individuals but also that of society. We will resolutely continue our fight against illegal betting and cyber fraud for the safety of our citizens.”
Ali Yerlikaya, Minister of Interior of Turkey
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