Nightmare continues for friends of Israeli murdered in India
Murdered Israeli hiker Dror Shek laid to rest near his hometown on Thursday evening, but for his friends who stayed in India ordeal hasn't ended as local police continue to question them
Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of Israeli backpacker Dror Shek on Thursday evening near his hometown in northern Israel. But four of his friends were not there to accompany him to his final resting place as they are still being detained by local law enforcement in India as the investigation into Shek's death continues.
Shek was apparently murdered by bandits while passing through the village of Kiriganga in northern India on Sunday.
The four Israelis traveling with him – Ran Ben Saed, Yuval Fogel, Asaf Mor and Abigail Magni – were informed on Wednesday by Indian investigators that they would be required to retrace their entire journey with Dror that day, a grueling ten hour hike, to reenact his murder. For the immediate future, they were told, they would not be allowed to return to Israel.
Ben-Saed, 23, told Ynet on Thursday: "Tomorrow we're heading out with the police and retracing our every step with Dror's body. There are a lot of other Israeli backpackers here who are supporting us and many of them said they would accompany us tomorrow on the trail.
Dror Shek's funeral on Thursday (photo: Hagai Aharon)
"The Indian investigators are doing everything at their own pace. On the first day, the police officers first went to swim in the hot springs and only later did they question us. The embassy staff is trying to help – but there's nothing they can do.
"We had hoped to come back for Dror's funeral, but we're stuck here. We've told them everything – but this is a murder investigation, there's nothing we can do."
The parents of the four backpackers, after seeing that there was little Israel's diplomatic mission to the region could do for their children, have hired a local attorney in India to convince the authorities that the four have been traumatized enough.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in response that the investigation was an internal Indian one and that Israel was doing everything in its power to speed up the process and help the backpackers come home.
Roee Nahmias contributed to this report
