Turkish prosecutors have indicted 51 minors, including 30 in pretrial detention, over 22 alleged gang-related incidents linked to an armed youth gang based in İstanbul, the İHA news agency reported on Thursday.
The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office accuses the minors of involvement in a so-called “new generation” armed criminal organization known as “Casperlar,” allegedly led by İsmail Atız, who goes by the nickname “Hamuş.”
Prosecutors said the case concerns 22 incidents across 12 districts of İstanbul in which three people were killed and 28 others were identified as victims or complainants.
Police carried out simultaneous raids in İstanbul and the provinces of Diyarbakır, Düzce, Malatya, Trabzon, Tokat, Şanlıurfa and Bitlis as part of the investigation.
Thirty of the minors were subsequently put in pretrial detention, while 16 were released under judicial supervision. Prosecutors did not specify the procedural status of the remaining five.
The defendants face a range of charges: membership in a criminal organization, premeditated murder and attempted murder, robbery and threats, property damage, firearms offenses and disseminating propaganda for the organization.
The indictment was submitted to the Bakırköy Juvenile High Criminal Court.
The case comes amid growing concern in Turkey over armed groups recruiting teenagers and using social media and messaging platforms to promote criminal activity.
An investigation published by the T24 news website this week found that online groups linked to the Casperlar and other gangs were openly recruiting youngsters and advertising crimes through messaging platforms.
The new case follows an earlier indictment against minors allegedly recruited by the same gang.
In January prosecutors indicted 68 minors for 41 alleged gang-related crimes committed between February 2024 and June 2025 in İstanbul and the western province of İzmir. Four people were killed in those incidents, according to prosecutors.
Courts put 38 of the minors in pretrial detention and imposed judicial supervision measures on 19 others.
Prosecutors said the latest investigation was launched after members of the gang allegedly continued committing crimes following the filing of the earlier case.
The broader investigation into the Casperlar network has also resulted in an indictment of 223 defendants, including 145 who were already in pretrial detention when the indictment was filed.
In February seven police officers were among 14 people jailed pending trial over allegations that sensitive law enforcement information, including details of arrest warrants and planned operations, had been leaked to the gang.