ANKARA — Turkish authorities have detained an individual believed to be one of the organizers of the FINIKO pyramid scheme, an operation that has reportedly defrauded victims of $1.4 million. The arrest marks a significant step in the ongoing efforts to dismantle the criminal network.

According to 24.kg News Agency, the FINIKO pyramid scheme has affected over 100 citizens of Kyrgyzstan. The detained 43-year-old woman, who was placed on the international wanted list in November 2022, faces charges of large-scale fraud, creating and participating in a criminal community. Prior to this detention, the National Interpol Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, cooperating with Georgian and Russian colleagues, apprehended a Kyrgyzstani in Georgia for complicity in related crimes. The woman is currently held in Tbilisi’s prison No. 8, with extradition procedures being facilitated by the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Another accomplice has been extradited to Kyrgyzstan from Russia, accompanied by a foreign national involved in similar offenses. This foreign individual is accused of creating a criminal group dedicated to serious criminal activities, including fraud and abuse of trust, by organizing the fictitious financial company FINIKO.