Ben Gvir Pushes Police to Reopen Extortion Case After News Report

Following a News 14 report last week about a construction contractor from central Israel who said he was extorted by criminals, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir ordered police to review why the case had been closed. On Monday, police reopened the investigation, and law-enforcement sources said the move led to significant developments that could help close in on the suspects.

The contractor, identified only as A', is from Holon and has no criminal record. According to the report, criminals demanded that he settle a fabricated debt of tens of thousands of shekels. He first paid 20,000 shekels, but the threats escalated. He later received dozens of calls and messages a day and kept paying large sums weekly out of fear for his life and the lives of his family.

When he could no longer keep up with the payments, the suspects reportedly began appearing near his home in Holon to wait for him. A' said the pressure became so severe that he was hospitalized for a period, yet the threats continued there as well. He then went to the Holon police station and handed investigators recordings and detailed documentation of the extortion.

Despite that evidence, the case was closed without what the report described as even basic investigative steps. The closure forced him to leave Holon and move elsewhere. The case has now become a symbol of the helplessness victims can feel against organized crime, even when they provide substantial evidence, and Ben Gvir said he would not ignore police failures to handle such serious extortion cases.