Two boys aged 14 and 16 have been arrested and accused of carrying out a coordinated campaign of thefts across Bnei Brak, a predominantly Orthodox Jewish city in central Israel, beginning in April. According to police, the pair systematically targeted a variety of locations, stealing goods ranging from supermarket items to cheques taken from a kindergarten office. The burglaries escalated significantly when the teenagers allegedly broke into a synagogue safe and stole rare silver religious vessels worth approximately 100,000 Israeli shekels (around £20,000).
The investigation revealed that the two suspects had worked together to plan and execute multiple break-ins across the city over a sustained period. Police say the thefts showed a pattern of increasing ambition and daring, moving from relatively simple shoplifting to targeting secure facilities such as the synagogue. The stolen religious items are of both financial and cultural significance to the local community.
Both teenagers face a series of criminal charges relating to theft and burglary. Following their arrest, police requested that they be remanded in custody pending the conclusion of legal proceedings against them. The case has prompted renewed focus on youth crime in the area and questions about how organised the operation had become among such young offenders.
Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.

