Khaberni - Turkish authorities have imposed harsh penalties on a vendor with special needs in the Bahcelievler area of Istanbul, following the spread of a video that showed him secretly swapping the vegetables chosen by customers with ones of lesser quality.
The Bahcelievler Municipality has impounded the vendor's cart for a week and imposed a fine of 3541 Turkish Lira, while placing a sign at his sales spot explaining the reason for the closure.
The incident, which occurred at the "Yeni Bosna Friday Market," triggered a widespread wave of anger on social media after a local captured the event on their mobile phone, showing the vendor swapping the selected vegetables with different products while weighing them, in a manner the public deemed “deliberate cheating” against the customers.
Following the widespread circulation of the video, the Istanbul Public Prosecutor's Office initiated an official investigation against the vendor on charges of "fraud during commercial activities," according to Article 158/1-h of the Turkish Penal Code, and the prosecutor's office confirmed in its statement that it had initiated the investigation on its own after confirming a documented cheating incident.
In the same context, Bahcelievler Municipality explained that the decision to close the vendor’s cart was made to protect consumer rights, emphasizing that manipulating goods or selling products that do not meet standards will face strict penalties.
The municipal teams also hung a sign above the vendor's cart that read: "This place has been closed by the Bahcelievler Municipality due to the sale of adulterated or non-standard materials."
