"Bring help, he has a gun": The call to emergency hotline 100 that brought down a protection racket in the north
An emergency call to the 100 hotline led to the arrest of a protection racket cell in the north. Three residents of Umm al-Fahm and Na'ura were arrested after demanding 300,000 shekels in protection money from a victim and threatening his life. An indictment has been filed against them.
An emergency call received by the police's 100 hotline in August led to the arrest of three suspects in a protection racket in northern Israel. The call, in which a man's voice was heard shouting "Come here, criminals are demanding protection. Bring help, he has a gun," prompted police forces to rush to the scene. According to the indictment filed with the Nazareth-Noof HaGalil Magistrate's Court, the three, residents of Umm al-Fahm and Na'ura aged 24, 36, and 39, arrived on August 8 at the victim's home. They used the name of a known criminal gang to intimidate him and his family. The three demanded the victim pay them 300,000 shekels in protection money and threatened his life, among other things saying: "You won't leave the house, I'll fill you with bags." The suspects fled the scene but were located and arrested within a short time. The case joins a series of protection racket incidents in the north, a phenomenon affecting business owners and residents in the area, and after the ceasefire in the north, an increase in protection money offenses was reported.