Suspect arrested for kidnapping: 10-year-old Yaali located in another city
The boy left his home in Petah Tikva to play with friends and did not return. He was found in Bnei Brak with a 20-year-old man who, according to the child, forced him to beg for money. The suspect has been detained and will face court.
Yaali, a 10-year-old from Petah Tikva, left his home yesterday, Sunday, in the Kfar Ganim Gimmel neighborhood to play with friends and did not return. Police from the Petah Tikva station of the Central District launched a search operation at night following a missing person report. Officers conducted extensive searches and utilized technological means to track the child.
During the operation, police from the Bnei Brak station located Yaali alongside a 20-year-old Jerusalem resident in Bnei Brak. Both were taken to the Petah Tikva station. Yaali stated that the suspect had instructed him to ask passersby for money.
Shiran Shabtai, Yaali's mother, told "HaYom":
"Yaali was playing with friends in the park. A 20-year-old man arrived and asked the children for money. When they said they had none, he used their phones to search for directions to Bnei Brak on Waze. He kidnapped my child. He told him he had run away and been kicked out of his home. They were found wandering the streets of Bnei Brak."
Yaali himself said: "He asked me for money and I didn't have any. He told me I needed to help him and ordered me to ask people for money. We walked far from home and I was scared."
Investigators have opened a case to clarify the circumstances. Following his interrogation, the suspect was detained and is scheduled to appear in court today.
After her son was found, his mother thanked everyone who assisted in the search: "Thank you to the wonderful people of Israel. The suspect is under arrest for kidnapping." According to her, the man lured her son with a "gold" chain, bought him pizza, and tried to convince him to smoke. "Open your children's eyes and keep them safe. I have learned my lesson," she added.
