Three defendants, including two cousins in their 20s from Ramla and Lod, as well as a woman from Jaffa, have been charged with four robberies of couriers in Lod and Ramla.
According to the police, the three were caught "red-handed," minutes after they allegedly committed an additional robbery. Following an investigation, the Central District Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment with the Lod District Court.
The investigation began after a violent robbery in Lod on July 23rd. Several masked individuals allegedly attacked a delivery driver, shattered the window of his vehicle, and stole his money and belongings.
Following the incident, officers from the Lod Police Station formed a special investigation squad. During the investigation, the officers noticed a recurring pattern in robberies of delivery drivers in Lod and Ramla, and managed to track down the suspects.
Detectives from the Lod Police Station and Shfela Yassam officers launched an undercover operation against the suspects. On August 7th, the forces arrested the three suspects, moments after they allegedly committed another robbery.
The suspects' detention was extended as needed, while they were interrogated at the Lod police station. The police said that during the investigation, evidence was gathered against them in connection with four robberies that took place over the past two months in Lod and Ramla.
According to the indictment, the three banded together to violently rob delivery drivers and divide the stolen goods between them. The female defendant is attributed a central role in the method by which the couriers were summoned to the locations where the other two defendants were waiting for them.
According to the indictment, the defendant would place orders with various businesses using false names and addresses that were not hers. After that, she would update the two other defendants with the address to which the order was placed and the time when the driver was expected to arrive.
The indictment states that when the couriers would arrive, the two defendants would be waiting for them while masked and armed with pepper spray. The two would then attack the drivers and steal their deliveries, money, and belongings.
The indictment charges the three defendants in connection with four robberies in which delivery drivers were assaulted and injured. In some of the incidents, the delivery drivers’ vehicles were also damaged. According to the indictment, the money and property stolen totaled tens of thousands of shekels.
The charges against the three defendants include armed robbery committed as a group, aggravated assault, and breaking into a vehicle. Police also released footage of the alleged gang members’ arrests.