Four family members arrested in suspected abuse of a minor

Police arrested four members of the same family from central Israel on Friday, suspecting them of indecent acts, abuse of a helpless person, and producing and distributing obscene material. The arrests are part of the wider investigation into a Telegram-based pedophilia network being handled by Unit 105 of Lahav 433.

The suspects were brought to the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court for a hearing on extending their detention. According to the court’s decisions, one suspect was released under restrictive conditions, one female suspect’s remand was extended until June 22, 2026, and two other female suspects were ordered released to house arrest.

Police said the arrests followed ongoing investigative work that uncovered information during the questioning of one of the main suspects in the case, which led to exposure of a specific abuse incident. In response to the court’s decision to free the two suspects, police asked to suspend the ruling until June 21, 2026.

Lahav 433 plans to appeal to the district court in an effort to keep the suspects in custody. The broader investigation remains active, centered on a network of sex offenders using Telegram to share prohibited material, view child abuse content, and in some cases make direct contact with minors for sexual abuse. Police say the case is one of their most complex in recent years because of the technical challenge of operating inside the encrypted app.