ANKARA
Turkish police on Monday apprehended 21 suspects as part of a probe into alleged fraud in the 2010 civil service recruitment exam.
The police launched the operation in the capital Ankara and the country's biggest province Istanbul after Ankara prosecutor's office ordered the detention of 23 suspects. Efforts continue to find the other two individuals.
The suspects face charges of leaking the questions of the Public Personnel Selection Examination, known by the initials KPSS, in an "organized manner".
The first wave of arrests came in late March across 14 provinces, including in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, which resulted in the detention of 62 suspects, 30 of whom were later released.
Police allegedly found the involvement of the so-called “parallel state” members in the fraud.
The "parallel state" is a purported group of Turkish bureaucrats and senior officials embedded in the country's institutions, including the judiciary and the police, and they allegedly seek to undermine the current Turkish government.
Turkey’s government says that the clandestine network is run by the U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen, and that his so-called Gulen movement is responsible for masterminding a plot to overthrow elected authorities.
