The stolen sheep
The stolen sheepPhoto: Police Spokesman's office

44 sheep were stolen from a farm in the town of Rinatya, near Petah Tikva, around a week and a half ago. The farmer's two beloved dogs, who he'd raised from birth, were stolen as well.

As with all cases of agricultural crime, the local Border Police unit opened an investigation.

Upon arriving at the scene, the investigators were able to locate the thieves escape route, and followed their tracks to the village of Deir Balut in Samaria, just a few kilometers from the scene of the theft.

On the way the Border Policemen came across 11 exhausted sheep straggling along, and sent them for veterinary treatment before they were returned to the farmer.

After receiving intelligence as to the possible whereabouts of the remaining sheep, Border Police and IDF personnel raided an enclosure in Deir Balut last Wednesday in which the sheep were suspected of being held.

To the soldiers joy, they were able to locate one of the stolen dogs, by the name of "Star", tied to a tree. 6 more sheep were found in the enclosure as well.

The owner of the enclosure and two more men were arrested under suspicion of being involved in the theft. Their arrest was subsequently extended by five days.

The next afternoon, acting on information obtained in the investigation of the suspects, the soldiers raided another enclosure in the village of Qibya, where they recovered another 10 sheep.

The unit's commander told media: "This incident shows clearly exactly why we invest serious operational and intelligence efforts in the fight against this sort of crime. Beyond the obvious criminal and financial damage aspects involved, we can see the deep emotional connection between a farmer and his livestock, and the emotional harm these thefts can cause."