Seven police officers were among 14 people put in pretrial detention on Monday on accusations of leaking judicial information to an İstanbul-based youth gang accused of carrying out armed attacks, robberies and killings, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The arrests came as part of an investigation led by the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office into what authorities described as an internal network that provided sensitive data to a “new generation” armed criminal organization known in Turkey as the “Casperlar” (Caspers).
The arrestees include seven police officers and one court clerk, pointing to the alleged involvement of public officials in facilitating the group’s activities.
A criminal court of peace in Bakırköy ordered the pretrial detention of the 14 suspects on charges including unlawful acquisition or dissemination of personal data, membership in a criminal organization, official misconduct with public documents and bribery. Four other suspects were released under judicial supervision.
The probe reportedly expanded after forensic analysis of digital materials seized during a January 9 operation against the Casperlar network.
Investigators said they uncovered communications between police officers and alleged gang figures, including WhatsApp messages that were added to the case file as evidence.
According to the prosecutors, the gang obtained advance information about arrest warrants, license plate records and search status checks through contacts in public institutions.
Prosecutors allege that this information, obtained before planned police operations, gave the group advance knowledge of law enforcement actions, allowing its members to act accordingly.
The arrest warrants were issued after investigators concluded that certain public officials had abused their authority and formed a benefit-based relationship with members of the criminal organization.
The latest arrests come amid a broader crackdown on the İstanbul-based gang, which prosecutors have accused of recruiting minors and carrying out shootings and armed robberies as well as issuing threats.
In January police detained 117 people in coordinated raids across 21 provinces as part of the same investigation. Prosecutors later filed an indictment naming 223 defendants, including 145 already in pretrial detention.
In a related phase of the case, courts ordered the arrest of 38 minors accused of involvement in dozens of gang-related crimes, including murder and attempted murder, committed between February 2024 and June 2025.
Turkish authorities have described a rise in youth-based armed groups in recent years, often centered in İstanbul, with gangs allegedly using social media to recruit teenagers and promote a lifestyle built around fast money and violence.