Three Beersheba Men Indicted for Kidnapping, Threats, and Extortion Over False Debt
The Southern District Prosecutor's Office has filed serious indictments against three young men from Beersheba, aged 23 and 24, for their involvement in a violent kidnapping, threats of murder, and extortion related to a fabricated debt from a canceled car sale. The victim was forcibly taken to an isolated orchard near Beersheba's cemetery, where he was assaulted with punches and threatened with a fake gun. He managed to escape by jumping from a moving vehicle at a red light.
The incident traces back about a year to a failed car sale deal between the victim and a friend of one of the accused. Although no debt was owed, one suspect repeatedly demanded money, escalating to a demand for 10,000 shekels. The victim was lured to Beersheba under false pretenses, then abducted by two suspects who drove him to the orchard. There, the main suspect punched him and struck him with a fake gun, threatening his life.
The victim fought back and fled the car, but the suspects pursued him, demanding his phone's unlock code and claiming the phone's confiscation reduced the alleged debt by 2,000 shekels. Later, while driving on Route 25, the main suspect threatened the victim again. At a red light near Tifrah Junction, the victim escaped by jumping from the car, which crashed into a truck. He sought help from a passerby and alerted police.
Following the crash, the third suspect arrived and threatened the victim to withdraw his police complaint, deleting all data from the victim's phone and using it personally. After their arrest, the suspects attempted to intimidate one another to prevent cooperation with investigators. The indictment charges the main suspect with kidnapping for murder or extortion, extortion by threats, assault causing serious injury, obstruction of justice, and interfering with police duties. The other two face charges of kidnapping, extortion, assault, obstruction, and interference with legal proceedings. The prosecution has requested their detention until trial completion.
