The indictment filed by attorney Eliran Ashkenazi from the Central District Attorney’s Office states that the defendants, along with three other individuals, conspired to rob the owners of two Shih Tzu dogs, in order to use them as a means of extortion.
To this end, about a month ago, Zarehan, along with others, arrived to observe the complainant. When he left his home, leading the dogs by their leashes, the defendant arrived with the vehicle near him, and together with the others, dressed in black clothing and wearing gloves, got out of the vehicle.
At this stage, the others began to chase the complainant, sprayed tear gas in his face, and hit him with punches and kicks all over his body. As a result, the complainant released the leashes from his hands. At the same time, the defendant opened the trunk and returned to the driver’s seat, in order to allow the others to escape the scene after committing the robbery.
A passerby tried to fend off the attackers and shouted at them. At this stage, one of the dogs escaped, and the others began to chase it, while one of them held the leash to which the second dog was tied. After another struggle, one of the involved parties released the dog, but another picked it up and the two fled towards the vehicle. When the passerby tried to open the car door and release the dog, the defendant sprayed her with tear gas, and the involved parties fled the scene.
Subsequently, they met with defendant 2 and left the area with the dog in another vehicle, which was abandoned at a later stage.
Several days later, WhatsApp messages were sent to the complainant, demanding that he transfer a payment of $600,000 to a digital wallet, otherwise the dog would be killed. On the same occasion, videos were sent to the complainant showing the dog in the possession of the involved parties, in order to induce him to pay the aforementioned sum. As of the date of the indictment, the dog had not been located and had not been returned to the complainant.
The defendants were charged in the indictment with aggravated robbery in concert, extortion by threats in concert, altering the identity of a vehicle or part of a vehicle in concert, and defendant 2 was additionally charged with using a vehicle without permission.
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