Child Abduction Investigation: Suspect Deleted Evidence

Disturbing new details have emerged in the investigation of the abduction of Yehali Sofer, a 10-year-old boy from Petah Tikva who attends a special education class. According to police findings reported Tuesday by I24NEWS correspondent Lee Ayash, the suspect, a 20-year-old Jerusalem resident, took deliberate steps to cover his tracks even before leaving the playground with the child.

Investigators discovered that after the suspect approached a group of children at the playground and struck up a conversation, he asked one of them to borrow their mobile phone for an urgent call. Immediately after completing the call, he deleted the number he had dialed from the phone's call log, apparently attempting to prevent investigators from identifying contacts he may have been coordinating with.

The investigation also revealed that the suspect has a prior criminal record. Just last March, an indictment was filed against him for stealing a mobile phone. This finding adds to the troubling picture emerging from the investigation and suggests a pattern of problematic behavior.

The incident began when Yehali disappeared suddenly from a playground in Petah Tikva. Large police forces were dispatched and conducted extensive searches throughout the area until the boy was located overnight in Bnei Brak, a neighboring city, and the Jerusalem suspect was arrested.

According to police, the suspect admitted during questioning that he took the 10-year-old with him and led him through several different cities. He told investigators he used the child to collect donations from people on the street. The boy's mother claims the suspect presented her son as his own child and used him to solicit money from passersby.

The suspect, who was not previously known to the child, exploited the boy's innocence and the fact that he had been without a mobile phone for two days prior. He told the child he had been thrown out of his home, had no money, and was hungry, employing severe emotional manipulation.

A magistrate's court judge in Petah Tikva extended the suspect's detention until Thursday. At the hearing, a police representative described the case as extremely serious, detailing how the suspect latched onto Yehali and his friends at the playground. While the other children became frightened and fled, the suspect persuaded the 10-year-old to accompany him, leading him along the route while having him ride on a scooter until they reached Bnei Brak.

The judge granted a four-day extension of the suspect's detention, one day less than the five days police had requested. The court also imposed a gag order on the suspect's identity. Police continue their intensive investigation with the aim of completing the evidence-gathering process and bringing the suspect to justice for the serious acts attributed to him.