62 detained in Turkey a day after alleged $2 billion crypto ‘exit scam’

Turkish police have detained 62 individuals throughout eight provinces in connection to an ongoing investigation into native crypto trade Thodex going darkish, information company Related Press reported at present.

On Wednesday, a number of reviews said that Thodex, which had anyplace between $2-10 billion value of its customers’ cryptocurrencies in custody, has abruptly stopped all operations. This brought on panic amongst native merchants who misplaced entry to their digital belongings.

The trade printed an official statement later that day, claiming that it needed to droop buying and selling for 4-5 days for upkeep as a result of some undisclosed funding. Nonetheless, lawyer Oğuz Evren Kılıç prompt that this might have very effectively been a rip-off.

He filed a felony grievance to the prosecutor’s workplace however warned that “the authorized course of can take years.”

“Can we name this a ‘Turkish Mt. Gox Incident’?” he tweeted. 

???????? Eğer milyarlarca Dolar değerinde #kripto #para “kaybolursa” ve sonra bunlar satılmak istenirse, bu işin küresel piyasalara etkisi ne olabilir?

Buna bir “Türk Mt. Gox Olayı” diyebilir miyiz?

— Av. Oğuz Evren Kılıç (@UlgenKhan) April 21, 2021

In the meantime, Faruk Fatih Ozer, the 27-year-old proprietor of Thodex, reportedly left Turkey earlier this week. Thodex’s lawyer, Bedirhan Oguz Basibuyuk, additionally said that the trade has been having liquidity issues these days.

“There was a decline in Thodex’s belongings. When too many customers demanded their a refund, the corporate was unable to satisfy these,” he reportedly stated.

Because the state of affairs was unfolding, Ozer printed one more assertion on Thodex’s web site, this time claiming that that trade fell sufferer to a cyberattack and a smear marketing campaign. Thodex CEO additionally claimed that he considered “both committing suicide or giving himself as much as authorities,” however ostensibly determined to return to Turkey in the long run.

Beklenen açıklama geldi.

Uzun, zorlu bir süreç başlıyor. https://t.co/EOGB48lrFt

— Av. Oğuz Evren Kılıç (@UlgenKhan) April 22, 2021

“So I made a decision to remain alive and struggle, work, and repay my money owed to you. The day I repay all my debt, I’ll return to my nation and provides myself into justice,” Ozer wrote.

Per AP’s report, Turkish prosecutors have additionally issued detention warrants for 16 extra individuals—along with 62 already in custody—allegedly linked to Thodex.

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