Police in Turkey have detained 62 people in connection with criminal complaints filed against crypto exchange Thodex, according to reports citing government-controlled Anadolu Agency.
- The Thodex crypto exchange went offline April 18 with its CEO subsequently going missing, fleeing the country according to reports.
- Istanbul police said that Faruk Fatih Ozer had flown to the Albanian capital Tirana on Tuesday.
- According to a report by Reuters, citing the Turkish state-controlled news agency, prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 78 people with 62 detained so far.
- Anadolu Agency reported Friday that Turkey’s Justice Ministry is seeking Interpol’s help in finding, detaining and returning Thodex’s CEO Faruk Fatih Ozer from Albania to Turkey.
- The Thodex exchange, which has 400,000 members, announced it was undergoing maintenance April 18-19, subsequently telling users it would be offline for five days.
- Users filed a complaint against the exchange Thursday alleging hundreds of millions of dollars had been stolen.
- The central bank announced April 16 that cryptocurrency was to be banned as a means of payment.
UPDATE (Apr. 23, 2021, 18:16 UTC): The article has been modified to include a new update on government action via Anadolu Agency.