Three Arrested for School Break-Ins and Tablet Thefts in Southern Israel
Three suspects from the southern Bedouin diaspora were arrested on Highway 6 for allegedly stealing hundreds of tablets from schools in the Lachish region.
Over the past month, the Lachish central unit conducted an investigation into a criminal cell suspected of breaking into six schools across the Lachish region, police reported on Tuesday. In addition to Lachish, break-ins occurred in schools in Nitzanim, Beit Gamliel (Beit Hanan), Beer Ganim, and Emunim, during which hundreds of student tablets were stolen.
The arrest took place following new intelligence received by police over the weekend indicating that the suspects were heading toward the Sharon region. In a joint operation by Lachish central unit detectives, Kiryat Malachi police officers, and southern Border Police forces, three suspects were arrested on Highway 6 near Kiryat Malachi.
The suspects, residents of the southern Bedouin diaspora, were transferred for further questioning at the Kiryat Malachi police station. The investigation is ongoing, and police are examining the suspects' involvement in additional incidents.
In a separate break-in case from July, four teenagers aged 15-16, residents of Bat Yam, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in a series of burglaries, thefts, and vandalism at a school in the city. Following their investigation, the youth prosecution branch of the Tel Aviv district filed an indictment and a request for detention until the end of legal proceedings.
The investigation was launched following multiple reports received at the police 100 emergency hotline regarding break-ins at educational institutions in Bat Yam, which included heavy property damage and equipment theft. According to the findings, the four acted together and on several different occasions broke into the school premises located on Keren Hayesod Street in Bat Yam, stealing property and causing intentional damage, including using a drill stolen from one of the school rooms.
