Illustrative
IllustrativeFlash90

The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court has extended the detention of the two men and women suspected in the cases of the disappearance of Nissim Shitrit and the murder of Avi Edri.

Police had requested that their detention be extended by 12 days and added that the three were arrested “following an undercover investigation that took place over a long period of time. The results of the investigation revealed various facts that substantiate the suspicions.”

The three, all members of the Shuvu Banim sect headed by convicted abuser Eliezer Berland, were arrested early Sunday morning, on suspicion of involvement in the disappearance and murder cases that date back more than 30 years.

Meir, a brother of Nissim Shitrit, said: “My brother was severely beaten by members of Berland’s community. He volunteered for Sherut Leumi [civilian service] so that he would be able to carry a gun. There were several groups of criminals there who had switched their secular clothes for haredi ones, but still used secular methods of dealing with people. I managed to find out their names and gave them to the police.”

Two years ago, in the documentary “The Hidden Rabbi” that aired on the Kan network, one of Berland’s followers said that members of the sect’s Modesty Patrol murdered Shitrit, dismembered his body, and buried its parts in the Eshtaol Forest. The same documentary also mentioned the murder of Edri, which was also linked to the Modesty Patrol. His body was found in Ramot Forest in 1990 with severe signs of abuse.