Istanbul shoe polishers get caught extorting money from tourists in ‘brush heist’

Shoe polishers in Istanbul’s popular areas of Beyoğlu and Beşiktaş have recently been targeting tourists in a brand-new “brush heist.” Unsuspecting tourists get caught in the snare of shoe shiners when they pick up their expertly discarded brushes, only to get accosted by the tradesmen, who then insist on shining their shoes, supposedly for free. However, after the event itself, the shoe shiners go on to extorting money from the doe-eyed tourists. Fortunately, upon increasing complaints, the Turkish police launched an operation and caught the extortionists.