Turkey's 'babyfaced' fraud suspect in jail after three years on run
Mehmet Aydin, wanted since early 2018, is back in Turkey to face an online fraud case that has raised questions about how he remained free for so long in South America.
After more than three years on the run across South America, Mehmet Aydin’s new home is a COVID-19 isolation cell in a high-security prison as he faces charges that could carry a jail term of more than 75,000 years.
The 30-year-old has been wanted by Turkey since he left the country after allegedly fleecing thousands of Turks in a Ponzi scheme based on an online game similar to FarmVille.
Aydin — dubbed Tosuncuk, meaning a plump and healthy baby, in the Turkish media — was ordered to be held at the Edirne F-Type prison near the Greek border on Thursday while he awaits trial in September.
After his surrender to the Turkish Consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil, last week and subsequent arrival in Istanbul on July 3, many are asking how he managed to stay at large amid an international manhunt.
