Went out to play near home and disappeared: "He kidnapped me, I was scared," said 10-year-old Yahali to Walla

Five hours of uncertainty passed for the family of 10-year-old Yahali, who left his home yesterday, Sunday, in the Kfar Ganim Gimmel neighborhood of Petah Tikva to play with his friends in a nearby park and did not return. At approximately 20:30, the search for him began, and five hours later, at 1:30 AM, he was located in Bnei Brak alongside a 20-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping.

Yahali's mother, 37-year-old Shiran Sabtay, recalls in a conversation with Walla the moments when they began to realize that this was not just a child who was late getting home. According to her, Yahali was playing with his friends in a park near the house when a young man arrived whom none of the children knew.

"A 20-year-old guy came up to them and asked the children for money. They told him they didn't have any, so he started searching on their phones in Waze for how to get to Bnei Brak," Sabtay said. That search, according to her, later became the first lead that helped investigators understand where her son had disappeared to.

According to her, the suspect even used one of the children's phones to make a call and then deleted it. "He called someone from one of the children's phones and deleted the call. With the help of cyber units, they found the deleted call and traced his tracks," she said.

During those hours, the mother had already reached the police and reported her son's disappearance. As the friends told more about the encounter with the stranger, and about the fact that he asked them for money and looked for a way to get to Bnei Brak, the fear for Yahali's fate grew.

However, what happened next is now described by Yahali himself. In a conversation with Walla, he told for the first time about the hours he spent far from his home, alongside the young man who was later arrested.

"He kidnapped me. He asked me for money and I didn't have any, so he told me that I had to help him and he asked me to ask people for money. We walked far from home and I didn't know where, and I was really scared," 10-year-old Yahali recounted.

Only near 1:30 AM did the search come to an end. Yahali was located in Bnei Brak with the 20-year-old suspect beside him. The suspect was arrested on the spot, and the police confirmed to Walla that he is being investigated on suspicion of kidnapping.

"They shackled his legs and hands and took him into custody," Sabtay said. "My heart sank, I was in stress for hours, I was afraid for my child's life. Today they told me he would go to court, and I really hope he won't be released. Such a person, who is dangerous to the public and kidnapped my child, cannot walk around outside."

Today, Yahali and his mother are expected to arrive for an additional police questioning as part of the ongoing investigation into the circumstances of the incident. At the same time, the 20-year-old suspect is expected to be brought later today to the Magistrate's Court in Petah Tikva, where the police will request to discuss his continued detention.