Gang targeted citizens living abroad
The Ministry of Interior has prepared a report on a gang that issued ID cards and passports to foreigners using citizens’ personal information. The report stated, “Organised team effort,” and noted that citizens living abroad were identified one by one.
New details have emerged in the scandal involving Kilis Population Directorate officials who used citizens’ data to print and sell ID cards and passports. BirGün obtained the Ministry of Interior’s investigation report, dated 4 August 2022.
The report emphasised that 28 passports and Republic of Turkey ID cards had been fraudulently issued using citizens’ identity details, stating:
“Personnel of the Kilis Provincial Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs have committed the crime of ‘forgery of official documents’ by using the identity details of citizens whose place of birth or residence address in population records is generally abroad, issuing false passports and Republic of Turkey ID cards.”
‘ORGANISED TEAM EFFORT’
In the “Conclusion and opinion” section of the Ministry of Interior report on the case, in which the suspects are being tried without detention, the following was noted:
“It has been determined that Mahmut Apaydın, serving as office staff at the Kilis Central District Population Directorate, and Vedat Kaya, serving as Data Preparation and Control Operator, fraudulently obtained passports, Republic of Turkey ID cards, and address declarations, carried out in an organised manner by a team. It was observed that almost all individuals whose data was used in these fraudulent procedures had their place of birth or residence address abroad.
It was established that individuals whose data was to be used in fraudulent transactions were identified by Özgür Güler, serving as a Data Preparation and Control Operator at the Çekmeköy District Population Directorate. Furthermore, Kilis Governorate’s Central District Population Director Mehmet Bars approved these fraudulent applications without due care and diligence… It was concluded that these were organised team operations and that necessary judicial and administrative action should be initiated against the officials found to be negligent or at fault.”
HOW THE SCANDAL CAME TO LIGHT
The Population Directorate gang investigation began at Kilis Bus Terminal. On 27 December 2021, Anti-Terror Branch officers suspected two foreigners near the terminal. The two individuals, determined to be Uzbek nationals, said that regarding their attempt to obtain fake documents, “We came to Kilis Population Directorate to give fingerprints in exchange for money, and Tarık Avcı and Murat Avcı, who live in Kilis, acted as intermediaries for us.”
The Uzbek nationals, along with Tarık Avcı and Murat Avcı, were taken into custody and questioned. On the suspects’ confiscated phones were found the identity details and photographs of several citizens.
A piece of paper found on the suspects also contained the phone numbers of Kilis Central District Population Director Mehmet Bars, Data Preparation and Control Operator Vedat Kaya, and office staff member Mahmut Apaydın. As the investigation continued, case files from many provinces poured into the Kilis Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, expanding the ID card and passport investigation.
PEOPLE WHO HADN’T COME TO TURKEY WERE CHOSEN
Some examples of citizens whose data was used by Population Directorate officials to issue fraudulent passports:
- E.Ç., born in Amsterdam, had a passport issued in their name despite not being in Turkey.
- A.K., born in Jordan, had not been to Turkey since 2018, yet a passport was issued in 2021 bearing another person’s photo.
- O.T., born in Denmark, had not come to Turkey since 1994, yet a passport was issued in September 2021.
- A Belgian-born citizen who had not been in Turkey since 2016 had a passport issued in their name.
- A US-born citizen who had not entered Turkey since 2017 had a passport issued on 22 November 2021.
- A Belgian-born citizen who had not been to Turkey since 1998 also had a passport issued on 22 November 2021.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Çete yurtdışında yaşayanları seçmiş, published in BirGün newspaper on August 14, 2025.
