Turkey: 61 arrests in fake gold crackdown

At least 61 people have been taken into custody in Turkey in connection with the sale of counterfeit gold in the market, according to local news reports.

The financial crimes police branch in Istanbul uncovered a network producing fake, poor quality gold bars in eight different workshops in the city's Fatih district, reports hurriyetdailynews.com.

The price of gold has been rising fast in the last few months, and some people have been turning to fakes – which experts say are hard to distinguish from the real thing – in order to save money.

Giving gold jewellery to is customary at Turkish weddings, but some people are also knowingly buying counterfeit items for their own use.

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