Millionaire kidnapped in J'lem, rescued by police
Cleared for publication: Businesswoman and her housekeeper kidnapped two weeks ago. Her accountant's office in Luxembourg receives fax demanding $3.5 million ransom. After weeks of intensive investigations worldwide, detectives successfully release two unharmed, arrest three kidnappers
For an entire week, the Jerusalem Police's central investigation unit was kept occupied looking for two women – a millionaire businesswoman and her housekeeper – who had been kidnapped from her house in the city. A $3.5 million ransom had been demanded in exchange for their return.
The police successfully located the two women, rescued them unharmed, and arrested the three kidnappers, all from the center of the country, one after the other. A gag order on the affair was lifted Sunday. The identity of the two kidnapped women remains confidential.
A millionaire businesswoman, around 60 years old, immigrated to Israel in the 90s from the former Soviet Union and lived alone in her home in the City of David, one of the luxury complexes in the prestigious Mamila neighborhood. She made most of her fortune before moving to Israel. During the week, a housekeeper, around 50 years old from Beit Shemesh, lives with the businesswoman.
Entrance to the millionaire's house (Photo: Shmulik Grossman)
Exactly two weeks ago on Sunday, three kidnappers arrived at the house after learning the woman's daily routine through continued surveillance on the complex. One of them was armed with a gun and donned a vest with the word "Security" written across it.
He identified himself as a security guard. He knocked on the door and then broke in together with his two partners in crime. The men instructed the two women to pack clothes for an extended stay outside the home and threatened them that things could end unpleasantly should they refuse to comply.
As the two women packed their belongings, the kidnappers took their cell phones, stole two personal computers, expensive jewelry, and another object with of particularly high worth: a hand-painted Chinese egg. They loaded the kidnapped women into a van and drove to the center of the country.
And then came a fax
The police first heard about the incident the following morning. The police dispatch received complaints from housekeeper's family and the businesswoman's personal assistant on their inexplicable disappearance. The callers expressed their concern that the two were in life-threatening danger. After the complaints were received, a special investigation team was put together.
The investigation took a turn when a fax was received by the businesswoman's accountant, who lives in Luxembourg, demanding that he transfer $3.5 million to a bank account in Sofia, Bulgaria. The fax was written in the businesswoman's handwriting and had her signature on it.
Police breaking into kidnappers' apartment (Courtesy of Israel Police)
The fax gave the signal for a series of investigative moves, including cellular location techniques, after which the location of the kidnapped women was identified – a building on Zohar Street in Petah Tikva.
The police setup outside the building and prepared themselves for a scenario in which the kidnappers would be armed and would use their weapons to thwart the rescue attempt.
Planned on dressing up as women
On Tuesday morning, some 48 hours after the kidnapping, the two women were seen leaving the woman accompanied by one of the kidnappers. The three got in the van and started driving. Later it was learned that this was an attempt to switch the kidnapped women's hiding place in order to throw the police off their tracks.
At this point the police force split. One group followed the van and the other group planned to break into the apartment. The detectives trailed the van and waited for the right moment to strike. It came at Shimshon Junction, where the police took control of the vehicle, released the women unharmed, and arrested the kidnapper – Michael Yuroslavsky, 45, from Petah Tikva. During a search of the van, the original fax demanding ransom was found.
Only once they received word of the successful rescue, the other group of investigators broke into the apartment, which was empty. An inconceivable cache of weapons was found, including dozens of automatic weapons, cartridges, commando knives, handcuffs and foot cuffs, camouflage equipment, watch caps, vests, night-vision equipment, and telescopic sights.
They also found foreign passports, Israeli identity cards, soldiers' identity cards, and makeup, which the kidnappers allegedly planned on using to disguise themselves as women.
The egg is found
However, their work was not done. Two of the kidnappers still roamed free. The hunt for them continued. A short time later, another suspect, Robert Abayev, 38, was arrested as he left his apartment in Bat Yam on his way to the apartment where the women were being held.
In an initial interrogation, the two apprehended men confessed to the kidnapping. They said that they kept armed watch over the women in shifts. According to them, they did not plan on harming the women, but intended to release them after receiving the ransom.
The search for the third kidnapper continued. He was ultimately located, also in Bat Yam, on Friday, five days after the kidnapping in the company of a woman. After the detectives confirmed his identity, they arrested him together with his female escort. His name is Anton Nati Petrokov.
The police searched Petrokov's apartment, where they found the computer and the highly-valued Chinese egg. Also in the apartment were two pieces of luggage packed with the suspect's and his girlfriend's clothing. They were planning on leaving that same day for an unknown European destination.
The three suspects were brought before Jerusalem Magistrates' Court, where their remand was extended by 10 days. In addition to kidnapping, Jerusalem Police are also charging the suspects with robbery and a number of counts of attempted murder.
The police said that they are expecting to make additional arrests in the affair.
