Police bust thieves who preyed on Birthright tourists
Three men and a woman suspected of studying itinerary of groups staying at Kibbutz Almog and then burglarizing their rooms when they were out
Police on Monday said they had arrested a four people suspected of having targeted Jewish tour groups by learning their movements and stealing from them when they left their hotel rooms.
The gang, comprising a woman and three men, is believed to be behind a series of robberies among participants on Taglit-Birthright trips who were staying at the Kibbutz Almog guesthouse near the Dead Sea, police said in a statement.
The Birthright organization brings Jewish adults aged 18-26 on 10-day trips to Israel, where they tour the country and meet young Israelis with the aim of boosting Jewish identity.
After a number of trip participants reported thefts of their belongings while they were staying at the Almog facility, police launched an investigation.
A combination of undercover operations and sleuthing led police to the suspects, all in their 20s and residents of the central region of the country. They were arrested over the past two weeks, police said.
During the investigation cops discovered the suspects had gathered information on the students’ stay in the kibbutz guesthouse and, after making sure the occupants weren’t in their rooms, would break in using a custom key and steal items such as cellphones, jewelry, credit cards and cash.
A number of items that had been pilfered were discovered at a Tel Aviv hotel where the suspected robbery ring was staying. In addition a large amount of suspected forged money was found in the home of one of the suspects.
Investigators also discovered that in some incidents the suspects apparently used stolen credit cards to buy items from various places around the country.
The four were not named in a police statement. There was no immediate response from Birthright, which brings thousands of young adults to Israel each year.
Indictments against the suspects are to be filed in the coming days, police said.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.