THESSALONIKI – A Turkish citizen was arrested in Thessaloniki, in execution of a European warrant issued by German judicial authorities, on charges of participating in telephone fraud in Germany.

Sources said the suspect is a 22-year-old man who has already been taken to the Appeals Prosecutor’s Office of Thessaloniki to initiate procedures for his extradition to Germany.

According to the prosecution documents, unknown accomplices of the suspect called unsuspecting German citizens posing as the police and told them that they were at risk of falling prey to burglars. In order to receive police protection, the victims were asked to hand over any money, valuables and jewelry they had on hand for “safekeeping”.

The German authorities implicate the suspect in two cases of fraud, one attempted and one successful, with the second involving the loss of 24,000 euros. The arrested man allegedly coordinated the callers while a woman had the role of “collector” of the valuables.

The wanted man, who denies the charges and remains in custody pending a German extradition request, appears to have been in Greece recently, seeking asylum.