An indictment was filed last night (Thursday) against a 30-year-old resident of Rasheltz and a 36-year-old resident of Rehovot, accused of stealing optical fibers in Beit Shemesh and Rehovot.
The investigators of the Beit Shemesh station of the Jerusalem district have completed the task of investigating several cases in which optical fiber infrastructures of the Bezeq communications company were stolen by the two.
The police investigation opened following a complaint received on behalf of the communications company.
The police investigators acted to obtain warrants at the court in accordance with the findings of their initial investigation and subsequently, the two defendants were arrested by the detectives of the Beit Shemesh station for investigation, which, as mentioned, matured into an indictment.
Damage to fiber infrastructures of this kind constitutes damage to the public's way of life and essential infrastructures to a great extent and is reflected in the shutdown of services, such as: damage to security facilities, various banking services, damage to the functioning of hospitals and strategic facilities, disabling the activity of emergency buttons among the third generation population sector ( elderly) and more.
Police car (illustration), photo: Gideon Markovich
From the police investigation and according to the facts of the indictment filed, it appears that already on 12/19 in the afternoon, the defendants arrived together in a car on Sinai Street in the city of Beit Shemesh in possession of meticulous equipment to carry out the criminal mission - extractors used to open the shafts including the fiber infrastructures, an orange vest and a shirt with the inscription "Lightning Contractor" on it that remained to one of the accused from a few years ago, during which he was employed by a contractor company that provided these fiber deployment services for the Bezeq communications company, thereby actually disguising themselves as authorized employees.
Following that, they sabotaged and stole a cable about 160 meters long, while one of the defendants entered the infrastructure, cut the cable, while the other defendant rolled it up and loaded it into their vehicle.
After this act, the defendants left the place and the very next day the damage was repaired by the communications company's technician, financial damage estimated at over NIS 20 thousand, alongside public damage to institutions and national emergency infrastructures that were cut off from the telephone network and the Internet as a result of their actions.
Several days later, on 12/24 in the morning hours, the accused arrived a second time at Sinai Street in Beit Shemesh and at a distance of a few meters from the previous tunnel, they opened the additional infrastructure tunnel, roped and cut a cable about 150 meters long.
Handcuffs, illustration, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Immediately after that, they approached another cave further down the street, where they tied the other end of the cable while cutting it in order to allow it to be pulled and stolen, but they were unable to remove it and left the place.
In this case as well, the communication in the vicinity of the damaged Gov was shut down until the next day when the malfunction was repaired by the technician of the communication company.
In this case, damage was caused with a total monetary value of approximately NIS 7,000. It was also learned as part of the investigation that the very next day, when the defendants, in order to steal the cable they had cut the day before, discovered that the technicians of the Bezeq communications company would repair the damage they caused The two therefore left the place.
Public peace risk
And if that wasn't enough, on 12/26 in the evening, the defendants arrived at Hasam Street in the city of Rehovot when they were in their "regular" mood for the employees of the Bezeq communications company or someone on their behalf, where they opened the infrastructure cover using the pliers they had, cut and damaged a cable about 250 meters. Immediately after that, they tied the cable they cut to their vehicle and pulled it out of the underground infrastructure, loaded the cable into the vehicle and left the place. In this case too, the very next day the damage was repaired by the telecommunications company's technician, financial damage estimated at over - 25 thousand shekels, alongside the same public damage to national emergency institutions and infrastructures that were cut off from the telephone network and the Internet as a result of their actions.
It was also learned in their investigation that this was also attempted on 27.12 on Restah and Nahala Street in the city of Rehovot in the evening hours, when the defendants arrived at the scene and using the means at their disposal, opened the back of the infrastructure, cut a meter-long cable, but when they were unable to pull the cable, they left the place while leaving damage in the amount of A total of about 6,000 shekels.
The investigator of the Beit Shemesh station in the Zion area, Major Ortal Yaden, who managed the investigation file against the two, said: "Immediately upon receiving the complaints, the Beit Shemesh station in the Jerusalem district began quick and professional investigative operations while understanding that these are actions that endanger public peace in a real way. For example, the damage to the ability of the elderly to call for emergency assistance due to disruption, even for a short time, in communication based on those optical fibers.
Thus, as part of these investigative and intelligence-gathering operations, we reached those defendants who were arrested by the detectives and taken to the police station for questioning, where each defendant gave his version of the suspicions attributed to them, and also contradictions that arose during their investigation were easily disproved as non-existent.
After establishing the evidence against them accordingly, the Jerusalem District Prosecution Unit filed an indictment against the two in court."
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