Ankara Chief Prosecutor Orders Arrest of 10 'Parking Hustlers'; All Remanded to House Arrest

Teams from the Ankara Public Order Branch, acting under an investigation launched by the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office Referral and On-Call Bureau, detained 10 suspects known as street parking hustlers and illegal lot operators through the 'Safe Street Operation'. According to a statement by the Ankara Police Department, the suspects were collecting money from drivers looking for parking spaces on various streets and avenues across the capital, obtaining unlawful gains.

After physical and technical surveillance, the 10 individuals were transferred to court, where the judge assigned to their case remanded them to house arrest. The statement recalled that under Law No. 2918 on Road Traffic, demanding parking fees in public spaces is illegal, and citizens were urged to report illegal parking lot operators to police.

The problem of street parking hustlers in Ankara's busy neighborhoods has been a longstanding complaint; in previous operations, those detained were tried without incarceration, and the debate over deterrence has continued.