Four individuals from a minority community were arrested late Sunday night after being caught attempting to saw open charity boxes on Shivtei Yisrael Street in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem.
The incident occurred at approximately 11:26 p.m., when a vigilant volunteer from the Ramot neigborhood watch spotted the suspects engaged in suspicious activity. According to reports, the volunteer discreetly followed the group as they moved to another location within the neighborhood.
When the volunteer approached and questioned them, the suspects claimed they were operating "under city instructions" and that "the boxes could be taken from the city itself." The explanation raised immediate suspicion, prompting the volunteer to call for reinforcements from the neighborhood watch.
Additional volunteers swiftly arrived at the scene and detained the suspects until police forces arrived. Law enforcement has since launched an investigation to determine whether the suspects were indeed authorized by municipal authorities or if this was part of a coordinated theft operation targeting local charity boxes.
Authorities are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and have not yet ruled out the possibility of further arrests.