Police arrested three young residents of Bnei Brak on suspicion of involvement in a case where the chairman of the Shomrim neighborhood watch organization was arrested on suspicion of sexual offenses.
The Israel Police announced that three additional suspects were arrested today (Sunday) as part of an ongoing investigation suspected of serious sexual offenses involving the chairman of the Shomrim organization in Bnei Brak, Haim Rotter.
The three, in their 20s and residents of the city, were transferred for interrogation at the Dan regional station and tomorrow will be brought to a hearing to extend their detention at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court.
One of the arrested suspects is suspected of exerting pressure on one of the complainants – apparently in an attempt to get him to withdraw the complaint he filed.
Rotter was arrested last week upon his arrival in Israel, after about two weeks abroad. The arrest was carried out by Ben-Gurion Airport police officers due to complaints filed against him, and since then he has been interrogated at the Ramat Gan-Bnei Brak station. The police announced that eight complaints regarding serious sexual offenses have been filed against him so far.
According to the police statement, “The investigation into the serious sexual offenses attributed to suspect Haim Rotter continues, and so far, eight complaints have been filed regarding the suspicions attributed to him.”
Due to the severity of the offenses and the complexity of the case, Dan district commander, Commissioner Haim Sargaroff, ordered the establishment of a special investigation team to manage the investigation.
Rotter, considered a prominent figure in the Haredi community in Bnei Brak, is at the center of a case that began with rumors spread on social networks. Subsequently, additional young individuals chose to file official complaints, leading to the initiation of the investigation.
