Stole luxury watches, but left behind a shirt: the mistake that exposed the burglar in Tel Aviv

A 47-year-old resident of Holon has been indicted for breaking into an apartment in Tel Aviv and stealing property worth 14,000 shekels. A gray shirt left at the scene and fingerprints on the window led to his identification. During his interrogation, he denied the acts.

The Tel Aviv District Prosecution Unit filed an indictment yesterday (Sunday) in the Magistrate's Court against Gad Yigal Ben Georgi Shimonov, 47, from Holon, for breaking into a residential apartment and theft. According to the indictment, the burglary occurred on October 21, 2025, in the morning, at a ground-floor apartment on Daniel Street in Tel Aviv. Shimonov pushed a closed but unlocked window, entered the apartment, and stole three Omega watches, a Tissot watch, three Casio watches, ten pairs of shoes, and several shirts and pants, with a total value of approximately 14,000 shekels. The key evidence was a gray shirt left on a table in the living room, on which DNA matching his was found, as well as fingerprints on the window. During his interrogation, Shimonov denied the suspicions and claimed he had never entered the apartment. Shimonov has a criminal record including six prior convictions, the most recent in 2023 for violent offenses. The police requested that he remain in custody until the end of proceedings.