The two Israelis robbed in Istanbul.
Israelis robbed, threatened by youths in Istanbul
Two Israelis' trip to a bar in the Turkish city to celebrate a birthday ended with them being extorted and robbed when a group shook them down and warned them not to tell the police.
Two Israelis were threatened and robbed by a group of local youths during their recent holiday in Turkey. The victims, Sahar Shalit and his cousin Yinon Kapah, were planning to celebrate the former's 25th birthday over a beer in Istanbul but the otherwise happy occasion was marred by the frightening experience.
The two went to Istanbul due to Shalit's appointment to see a world-renowned cosmetic expert. "I was sure they were going to murder me," said Shalit, a musician.
In the evening, they decided to go out and get food. "On the way, two people who presented themselves as Italian tourists stopped us. They suggested that we go drink a great Turkish beer with them," Shalit said.
Shalit and Kapah, robbed and threatened in Istanbul.
"We sat at a bar with them, and suddenly they brought girls to our table. We realized something suspicious (was going on), but when we got up to leave they made us pay 22,000 liras (the Turkish currency) for the beer, about NIS 27,000."
After robbing them of 250 Euros in cash, the youths made the Israelis go back to the hotel and retrieve their credit card, which was in a safe. "At this point, six people surrounded us," Shalit recalled. "They took Yinon to the basement and demanded that I accompany them to the hotel or they'd kill us both."
The robbers took the credit card and drew about NIS 10,000 from a local ATM. "They then put us in a cab, gave us 70 liras for the ride and some food and threatened us to take care not to go to the police," Kapah said.
When they arrived back at the hotel, the two told the manager about what happened, and he alerted the Israeli consulate in the city. "What a birthday they arranged for me," Shalit concluded, "I got a glass of beer for NIS 12,000 as a gift."
