Yehalomis arrested in Namibia with forged passports

Mali and Liel Yahalomi, the mother and daughter who disappeared several months ago and were located after extensive searches in South America, have been arrested in Namibia in possession of forged passports.

Israeli police are checking the details of the arrest but clarified they are not involved in the investigation being conducted in Namibia. Police sources are trying to understand why the mother and daughter were forced to use forged passports, after the two stated in questioning conducted in Argentina approximately two months ago that they had left Israel of their own free will.

Mally and Liel were declared missing last August after they disappeared in Vienna, Austria. The search for them spanned several continents and involved hundreds of investigators around the world. During the investigation it emerged that Mally had planned the disappearance carefully for over a year; she withdrew her pension compensation funds a year earlier and used them to finance the journey to South America.

Cell phone correspondence between mother and daughter that was uncovered in the investigation showed that Liel joined the plan of her own free will. The daughter wrote to her mother: "I will go with you anywhere." The two deleted applications from their cell phones and carried out additional actions designed to prevent tracking. In addition, it turned out they used the Gemini app and asked questions that may have been related to planning the route and journey.

The complex operation to locate them came to an end when the two were found on an intercity bus in Argentina. Deputy Commissioner Walter Kogan, Israel Police representative in South America, spoke with them in the field and verified that they were healthy and safe, not under any threat or danger, and that they had arrived in the country of their own free will.

Liel and Mali Yahalomi (Photo: Israel Police Spokesperson)

In the initial questioning conducted in Argentina, the two stated that "we just want to disconnect from the family, from the state." When asked if anyone was threatening them or trying to extort them, they answered in the negative. When asked if they were fleeing because of financial debts, they again answered no and added: "We just want to leave everything."

Police sources clarified at the time that Mali had no financial debts. Since these are two adult women who are not suspected of committing any offense and are not wanted, the role of law enforcement ended the moment it was clarified that they were not in life-threatening danger, and the two were released.

After they were located in Argentina, family members of Mali and Liel expressed concern and helplessness in the face of the continuing uncertainty. "I wish they would make contact and we would have answers," one family member said. According to him, Mali and Liel did not make contact with them on the Shabbat when they were found, nor in the days that have passed since.

Now, with the arrest in Namibia, new questions arise regarding the route of the two women's wanderings and their objectives.