Israel Police have arrested four members of a cell, on suspicion of cunningly stealing millions of shekels from business owners in a sophisticated plot.

Investigators of the fraud squad of the Tel Aviv District Police and the Central Unit in the Jerusalem District began an undercover investigation, during which suspicions arose of the involvement of a number of suspects, including a 37-year-old suspect who was currently serving a long prison term, who allegedly used his prison time to focus on his plan.

The suspect used to call various businesses and identify himself as CEO or other senior company official. He would question the person on the phone regarding the day’s sales and how much money there was, then instructing the person to place the money in an envelope and wait for the arrival of a taxi, and then hand the money to that driver.

Later, the cell members sent a taxi driver who took the daily deposit and transferred the money between themselves. Each of the members of the cell had a specific role and as a result of their activities, and they managed to accumulate NIS 2 million this way.

The investigation, which was conducted in cooperation between the police fraud squad (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem) and the Prisons Service, revealed that the suspect who was serving a prison sentence used an application to enter a name and phone number to be displayed to the recipient of the call. In this way, the suspect could cunningly induce his victims to believe his fictitious identity and act to pass on to him their daily monetary income.

With the transfer of the investigation to the open stage, last week, the Israel Police detectives arrested the suspects and they were arraigned in the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)