Ashkelon Court Releases Beni Motcha and Co-Suspect Over Extortion Evidence Gaps
Ashkelon Magistrate's Court released criminal figure Beni Motcha and a co-suspect from detention due to insufficient evidence in an extortion and threat investigation.
The Ashkelon Magistrate's Court ordered the release of criminal figure Beni Motcha and an accomplice's son on Sunday after investigators failed to establish sufficient evidentiary backing to sustain their detention on suspicion of extortion and threats. The two suspects were placed under three-day house arrest with strict prohibitions against contacting any individuals involved in the case.
The investigation stems from a complaint filed by a local business owner who reported facing intense intimidation and demands for additional funds. According to the victim, he had accumulated a debt to a prominent crime syndicate leader and believed he had already settled the amount, yet associates of the underworld boss continued pressing him for further payments.
The case broke open when the victim arrived at the Ashkelon police station to report the harassment. While filing the complaint, he coincidentally received a WhatsApp conference call involving Motcha, the second suspect, and a third unidentified individual. Investigators recorded the call, which captured the third party threatening to murder the business owner and sever his fingers, prompting the immediate arrests of Motcha and his co-suspect.
Defense attorneys Oded Regev and Yonat Ben Haim argued throughout the remand hearings that no concrete evidence linked their clients to the explicit threats or extortion demands. The court accepted the defense's position, noting the current limitations of the evidentiary framework, though police efforts to locate and apprehend the third suspect remain ongoing.
