Boy, 10, Abducted Near Home Found Safe After Five Hours

A 10-year-old boy named Yahli was abducted on Sunday evening while playing with friends in a park near his home in the Kfar Ganim G neighborhood of Petah Tikva. He was reported missing around 8:30 p.m. and was located five hours later, around 1:30 a.m. in Bnei Brak, with a 20-year-old suspect arrested on suspicion of kidnapping.

According to Yahli's mother, Shiran Shabtai, the incident began when a 20-year-old man approached the children in the park, asking for money. When they said they had none, he began searching their phones for directions to Bnei Brak. Shabtai stated that this search provided the first clue for investigators, as the suspect also used one of the children's phones to make a call, which was later deleted. Cyber units were able to recover the deleted call, helping police trace the suspect.

Yahli recounted his experience, telling Walla that the suspect "kidnapped me." He explained that the suspect asked him for money, and when he didn't have any, the suspect told him he needed to help him ask others for money. Yahli said they walked far from his home, and he was very scared.

Following the report of Yahli's disappearance, his mother went to the police. As more details emerged from his friends about the encounter with the stranger and his interest in Bnei Brak, concerns for Yahli's safety grew. The search concluded when Yahli was found in Bnei Brak with the 20-year-old suspect, who was arrested at the scene.

Shabtai expressed her distress over the hours of uncertainty and her hope that the suspect, whom she described as dangerous, will not be released. Both Yahli and his mother are expected to provide further statements to the police as the investigation continues. The suspect is scheduled to appear in the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court, where police will request an extension of his detention.