Phone thief caught in north Cyprus claims to be ‘Turkish hacker group’ agent

A Turkish man who was accused of stealing a mobile phone and a laptop in north Cyprus claimed in court on Sunday to be an agent of a “Turkish hacker group”.

The man, who allegedly committed the theft in May, 29, 2023 in Kyrenia, was arrested on Saturday, April, 20, 2024 in Lefke.

Police told the court that the man had been working at a telephone repair shop called “Telefon Hastanesi”, “telephone hospital” in Turkish, and stole a mobile phone, iPhone 13 promax and a laptop which had been left there by a customer to be repaired.

Following an investigation, police found the phone at another shop in Kyrenia, named Cagri Teknoloji, and after further investigation found that the man who had been selling the phone that day was the man who had stolen it in the first instance.

They then telephoned the man, and when he realised he had been called by the police, he turned his phone off and could not be contacted. They then obtained a warrant for his arrest.

The defendant said in court that he is a member of a Turkish hacker group named Ayyildiz Tim, and that he had come to Cyprus from Istanbul.

He said he had not committed the crime of which he stands accused, and that being subjected to a criminal trial would damage his mental state.

The police representative said it was “highly likely” the man would hinder the police’s investigation if he were released, and as a result the judge ordered that he be remanded in custody for three days.