Extortion attempt on my dad in Turkey. Gun photos on WhatsApp, then an old “friend” showed up?

A man's father in Turkey received calls and WhatsApp messages from various international numbers demanding a car, house, or large sum of liras under the threat of violence using photos of guns. A man whom the father has not seen for ten years subsequently appeared and acted as an anonymous mediator to negotiate down the demands. The poster suspects the entire incident is a volume extortion scam.