2 held for trapping, beating man they claim is a pedophile

Two women were arrested in the central city of Lod on Tuesday after they allegedly trapped a man they accused of being a sex offender in a local business establishment and beat him.

The women also allegedly circulated photos of the man with a warning reading, “Convicted pedophile and dangerous criminal is at large and has moved to Lod,” Hebrew media reported.

The two women, ages 36 and 38, are suspected of luring the 56-year-old man into a privately owned business. Once inside, the women allegedly locked the door and began beating him, including hitting him with a chair. After the man escaped, the women circulated photographs of him to residents of Lod describing him as a sex offender.

One of the women said she had befriended the man and had asked him to give her son Torah lessons. She claimed he was convicted of pedophilia, served time in prison and is under the observation of the Prisons Service.

The suspects were located and arrested by police. They are under investigation on multiple charges, including assault, false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit a crime and libel.

Police did not identify the victim, and it was not immediately clear if the women’s allegation that he is a convicted sex offender was correct.