The Turkish Gendarmerie General Command has "rescued" 33 Taiwanese nationals linked to an internet and telecoms fraud ring during an operation in the southern province of Antalya, the command said Wednesday via social media, CNA reports.
According to the command, the Taiwanese nationals may have been trafficked to the country to carry out fraud targeting mainly other Taiwanese.
The command did not reveal any information about its investigation, nor did it disclose who may be behind the fraud ring or alleged human trafficking network.
Law enforcement officers confiscated nearly 100 mobile phones and several laptops during the operation, the command said in its tweet.
The Taiwanese representative office in Ankara is looking into the matter.
In a separate operation last week, the Istanbul police busted another fraud ring and arrested 115 people involved in developing online games and gambling websites for a crime group to scam people.
Those arrested included Chinese and Taiwanese nationals, who had reportedly been forced to work for the criminal group, with their passports confiscated, Turkish media reported.
According to the Taiwanese representative office, only a few Taiwanese were detained over the case, and are unlikely to be the main culprits.
The police confiscated around NT$177 million (US$6.3 million) worth of gold and cash in different currencies during the raids, as well as hundreds of electronic devices, reports said.
